In the border city of Brownsville, Texas, seven individuals were murdered, and up to six more were injured after being hit by a car while waiting at a local bus stop outside of a migrant shelter, according to police.
According to Martin Sandoval, a police investigator in Brownsville, the collision occurred at 8:30 a.m.
After getting a report about the crash on Sunday morning, Bishop Enrique San Pedro Ozanam Center shelter director Victor Maldonado said he watched the facility’s security footage.
The city bus stop is unmarked and across the street from the shelter. According to Maldonado, there was no bench, and people were waiting while sitting on the curb. Most of the victims, he claimed, were men from Venezuela.
“What we see in the video is that this SUV, a Range Rover, just ran the light about 100 feet away and just went through the people sitting there at the bus stop,” Maldonado said.
According to him, the SUV ran up against the curb, flipped, and then moved for about 200 feet (about 60 meters). According to Maldonado, a few pedestrians on the sidewalk approximately 30 feet from the leading group were also struck.
The Ozanam shelter oversees the release of thousands of migrants from federal custody and is the sole overnight refuge in Brownsville.
Brownsville has traditionally served as a cross-border migratory hub, and it is now an important location for removing Title 42 border restrictions enacted during the pandemic. This removal is scheduled to take place next week.
Authorities are looking into whether the crash was intentional or an accident, Sandoval told KRGV-TV. The driver, detained at the site by witnesses, is also being tested for intoxication.
Before the collision, according to Maldonado, the center had not received any threats, but they had after that.
Maldonado said, “I’ve had a few folks come by the gate and inform the security guard that this happened due to us.
Two hundred fifty people can stay at the shelter, although many go on the same day. The city recently declared an emergency as local, state, and federal resources coordinated the enforcement and humanitarian response to increased border crossings.
“In the last two months, we’ve been getting 250 to 380 a day,” Maldonado claimed.
During the week, the shelter provides transportation for the migrants, but they are also welcome to use the city’s public transportation at no cost.
The director explained that some were en route to the bus stop since they had a bus reservation.
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