At least eight people were killed in Brownsville, Texas, after the driver of a vehicle plowed into a crowd of migrants outside a center serving the homeless on Sunday, authorities said.
Seven of the people hit “were dead on the spot” when police arrived, said Martin Sandoval, an investigator with the Brownsville Police Department. At least 10 people were injured, one of whom was airlifted to an area hospital. One person later died, the department confirmed late Sunday.
Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. of Cameron County said the group was outside the Ozanam Center near a bus stop when a Range Rover plowed into them around 8:30 a.m. local time.
The driver, who was not publicly identified, was charged with reckless driving and arrested, Mr. Sandoval.
Police are awaiting the results of a toxicology report, he said.
It was not clear whether the driver had lost control or intentionally hit the group, Judge Treviño said. He said the driver was injured and taken to a hospital.
At least 10 others had also been taken to hospitals, Mr. Sandoval. His conditions were not immediately known.
Judge Treviño said the scene was “very graphic” based on videos he had seen of the aftermath and a briefing he had received.
“They looked like very serious injuries,” he said. “It’s a tragedy either way, but if it was intentional, it’s worse.”
All were believed to be migrants from Venezuela, many of whom had come to the border in anticipation of the lifting of Title 42, a sweeping Trump-era rule that allowed for the easy deportation of migrants.
Victor Maldonado, executive director of the Ozanam Center, said the driver ran a red light before crashing into the crowd of about 20 people. “Everybody started going everywhere, in every direction,” he said.
A group of people detained the driver, who tried to run away, said Eyder Hernandez, one of those who stopped him. On the trip from Venezuela to Texas, the group of migrants became a family, he said.
Michael Eduardo de Aponte Fonseca, who is from Caracas, Venezuela, said the driver shouted anti-immigration slurs at the group as he fled. One of the people hit by the car fell on top of Mr. Fonseca, he said.
“I saw what was happening around me and I didn’t want to see any more,” he said. “I grabbed my things, scared and in shock, crossed the street.”
The Ozanam Center is a shelter frequented by migrants who stay there for just a few days while they work to secure travel elsewhere, Maldonado said.
He said they stay in Brownsville to “do odd jobs and get some money so they can keep going.” But, he added, “Some of these people tonight will not reach their destination.”
Lauren McCarthy, Joshua Needleman i April Rubin provide reports
