…By Henry George for TDPel Media.
A tragic incident in Brownsville, Texas, saw eight people killed after they were hit by a car while waiting at a bus stop outside a migrant shelter.
At least 10 others were injured in the collision, with the driver of the car taken to hospital and police waiting to arrest him.
The incident occurred on a Sunday morning, and it is unclear whether the collision was deliberate, due to intoxication or an accident.
According to Brownsville police investigator Martin Sandoval, the driver is being uncooperative in the hospital, but he will be transported to the city jail as soon as he is released.
The police will fingerprint him and take his mug shot to find his true identity.
Witnesses detained the driver as he attempted to run away from the scene after the SUV ran up the curb, flipped, and continued moving for about 200 feet, hitting some people walking on the sidewalk about 30 feet from the main group.
Shelter director Victor Maldonado said most of the victims were Venezuelan men waiting for a bus to return to downtown Brownsville after spending the night at the overnight shelter.
The centre had not received any threats before the crash, according to Maldonado.
Some people had blamed the shelter for the incident, but there is no evidence to suggest that it was connected to the shelter in any way.
The city of Brownsville has been experiencing a surge in the number of migrants, and as a result, the commissioners have extended a declaration of emergency indefinitely.
They are working to ensure that the migrants are comfortable so they don’t have to go out and look for other places.
Brownsville has long been an epicentre for migration across the US-Mexico border, and the Ozanam shelter is the only overnight shelter in the city.
It manages the release of thousands of migrants from federal custody.
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