Sorting by

×

Seven people killed after car strikes people waiting at bus stop near migrant centre in Texas

Seven people have been killed after a car ploughed into a group of people waiting at a bus stop near a migrant and homeless centre in Texas.

The incident took place near the Ozanam Center in the city of Brownsville near the Mexican border at around 8:30am local time (2:30pm GMT) on Sunday, 7 May.

At least six others have been injured, some of whom have been left in a critical condition. Police said the driver’s actions appeared to be intentional.

The male suspect has been charged with reckless driving and more charges are expected to follow.

The man is under 24-hour guard and is receiving medical treatment at a local hospital, Sky News reports.

Lieutenant Martin Sandoval from the Brownsville Police Department said the driver will be tested for drugs and alcohol.

Migrants are understood to be among those who have died, Lieutenant Sandoval added.

The Shelter’s director, Victor Maldonado, said he reviewed the shelter’s surveillance video on Sunday morning after receiving a call about the crash.

“What we see in the video is that this SUV, a Range Rover, just ran the light that was about a hundred feet away and just went through the people who were sitting there in the bus stop,” Mr Maldonado said. He said most of them were Venezuelan men.

He said the SUV overturned after hitting the curb and continued moving for about 200 feet (about 60 meters) and that some people who were walking on the pavement nearby were also hit.

“I’ve had a couple of people come by the gate and tell the security guard that the reason this happened was because of us,” Mr Maldonado added.

The Ozanam shelter is the only overnight shelter in the city of Brownsville and manages the release of thousands of migrants from federal custody.

It can hold 250 people but many who arrive leave the same day. Over the past few weeks, an increase in border crossings led the city to declare an emergency to address both enforcement and humanitarian needs.

The road outside Bishop Enrique San Pedro Ozanam Center where the crash took place (Photo: Google)

“In the last two months, we’ve been getting 250 to 380 a day,” Mr Maldonado said.

The shelter offers migrants transportation during the week but they are also free to use the city’s public transportation.

The bus stop is across the road from the migrant centre but it is unmarked and there is no bench so the victims were sitting along the curb, according to Mr Maldonado.

This story is being updated.

Source link

Related Articles

Back to top button