Most of the seven people killed in an accident in front of a center for the homeless in Brownsville, in the state of Texas (USA), which currently also serves as a shelter for immigrants, are of Venezuelan nationality, according to the director of the shelter. , Victor Maldonado.
The person in charge of the Bishop Enrique San Pedro Ozanam Center pointed out in statements collected by local media that most of the victims were Venezuelan men, an incident in which six other people were injured, although he did not specify whether the latter also came from the South American country.
Maldonado said he reviewed surveillance video from the shelter after receiving a call informing him of the accident and that people waiting there were sitting on the sidewalk at the time of the hit-and-run.
He qualified that the bus stop is located on the other side of the street from the shelter and is not signposted, in addition to lacking a bench to sit on.
"What we see in the video is that a Range Rover ran the traffic light about 100 feet away and struck the people sitting at the bus stop," Maldonado said.
The media indicates that the Centro Obispo Enrique San Pedro Ozanam shelter is the only one that operates at night in the city of Brownsville and manages the release of thousands of migrants from federal custody.
They also point out that the Venezuelan community of Brownsville reported that it is preparing a vigil for the immigrants killed in this outrage, which will be held this Monday, May 8, at 10.00:15.00 a.m. local time (XNUMX:XNUMX p.m. GMT) on Minnesota Avenue, where the incident occurred.
As previously reported by the Brownsville Police (Mexico border city) to ABC News, a man was arrested for what happened.
The Police have not yet confirmed the reasons for the outrage, but as Lieutenant Martín Sandoval explained to the local channel KRGV, they are investigating whether it could have been intentional.
At around 8.30:13.30 a.m. local time (XNUMX:XNUMX p.m. GMT), the Police received notice that a Land Rover had run over several people who were waiting at a bus stop.
Upon arrival they found that there were seven people dead at the scene and six more were taken to the hospital with minor or serious injuries.
The driver was detained by several witnesses to what happened and held until the police arrived.
He is receiving medical attention and is undergoing tests to detect if he had used drugs or alcohol.
The injured are still being counted, Sandoval said, since some of them were transferred in ambulances.
The lieutenant explained that the center is a shelter for the homeless but that at this time, due to the immigration crisis that the border is experiencing, it is full of immigrants.
The event occurs when there are only a few days left until the end, on May 11, of Title 42 immigration regulations, a measure adopted by former Republican President Donald Trump (2017-2021) and later continued by Democratic president Joe Biden to expel to migrants with the argument of the covid-19 pandemic.
To prepare for the possible problems generated by the end of this regulation, due to the possible increase in the migratory flow, 1.500 US soldiers will be deployed at the border to support the Border Patrol agents.
