2023-05-07 18:09:00
(CNN) — A driver plowed into a group outside an immigrant shelter in a Texas border city on Sunday, leaving seven dead and several injured so far, authorities say.
Authorities in Brownsville, Texas, say they received a call at 8:30 a.m. CT (9:30 a.m. Miami time) about a Land Rover that struck several people who were waiting at a bus stop in front of the Ozanam Center, a Non-profit homeless shelter that has helped house migrants.
The incident left seven people dead and between four and six injured, Martin Sandoval, a spokesman for the Brownsville police, told CNN. Sandoval added that police believe immigrants were among the dead. It is unknown if the accident was intentional.
Credit: KRGV
CNN interviewed immigrants staying at the same center in December. At the time, the shelter’s director told CNN that migrants from around the world were beginning to stay at the shelter and were seeing an increase in stays. The shelter is equipped to house and feed 200 people, according to its website.
Witnesses at the scene detained the driver until deputies arrived, Sandoval said during a news conference Sunday. He reported that the driver of the vehicle received medical attention and was arrested on a reckless driving charge. “Most likely” other charges will be added,” Sandoval said.
Police have not released the driver’s name, but indicated he was a Hispanic male, Sandoval told CNN. Brownsville police are investigating the incident with the help of Border Patrol, he added.
Sandoval noted that authorities are still investigating whether the accident was intentional or accidental. He said witnesses described seeing the car “lose control.”
The shelter has housed immigrants while they wait for permanent housing, he said.
Brownsville, Texas is located in the southern tip of Texas, just across the Rio Grande River. The town’s population is nearly 95% Hispanic or Latino, according to the 2022 census.
The incident occurs just days before a Trump administration immigration restriction called Title 42 expires. Authorities have forecast an increase in immigration in the coming weeks when the restrictions are lifted next Thursday, May 11.
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