At least eight people have been reportedly killed when a person rammed a vehicle into the people waiting at a bus stop in Brownsville, NBC News reported Monday.
The Brownsville car crash left 10 people injured who are believed to be migrants waiting at a stop near a Catholic Charities facility known as the Ozanam Center, according to a senior law enforcement official.
Just after the Texas car crash, around 8:30am, seven deaths were reported. On Sunday evening, Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez said in a Facebook statement that an additional person had died and several more remain critical.
The senior law enforcement official noted, that initially, authorities believed it was an intentional act. However, the official later said that it’s not clear whether it was intentional and that the investigation into the motive is ongoing.
Brownsville Lt. Martin Sandoval said in an interview that police were also looking into whether the driver was intoxicated or whether the incident was an accident.
Sandoval said: The driver, a Hispanic male, hasn’t been cooperating with investigators.
Sandoval also noted that “he has given us several names and that authorities are waiting for a fingerprint match they hope will positively identify the driver, who has been charged with reckless driving.
More charges are likely. The FBI is assisting Brownsville police in the investigation, Sandoval said.
According to the Department of Justice, US Attorney General Merrick Garland was briefed about the incident.
Brownsville Fire Department said on its official Facebook page earlier Sunday that eleven people were injured in the crash and they were taken to local hospitals.
The department also said: One injured person was airlifted to Valley Baptist Medical Center in nearby Harlingen.
I was almost struck, one migrant told KVEO of Brownsville.
He said: “We were waiting there, and the truck sped through the traffic light, and by the grace of God nothing happened to us, but they did hit the others around us.”
Brownsville is one of the border cities that is witnessing an uptick in migrants coming to the US from Mexico before the Title 42 immigration program ends Thursday.
Mayor Mendez said that what happened remained unclear.
“As we continue to receive information on the tragic incident that occurred today, we have yet to receive evidence that this was an intentional act,” Mendez said.
Sister Norma Pimentel, the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, said the Ozanam Center houses some migrants overnight, adding that it has received no direct threats in connection with the border crisis in recent weeks.
