Police: 7 dead, 10 injured in auto-pedestrian crash near Brownsville migrant shelter
Brownsville police confirm seven people dead and ten taken to several hospitals after being run over by a vehicle Sunday morning.
The incident happened on Minnesota and Houston Road in Brownsville in front of the Ozanam Center.
Brownsville police spokesperson Martin Sandoval said the victims were waiting at a bus stop when they were run over.
Sandoval said some of the victims have been confirmed to be immigrants, but it is unclear if they were all immigrants.
Sandoval said the driver of the vehicle has been detained and transported to a hospital for medical treatment, his condition is unknown. He said the driver is a Hispanic male and a resident of Brownsville. No other information was made available.
Sandoval said a criminal investigation is being conducted on the driver to determine what caused the accident.
"I know there is a report out there, they are saying that it was intentional. That Brownsville police is saying this was an intentional accident. Well, I'm here to clarify that Brownsville police has never taken the stand that this was an intentional accident. It is a factor that we have to look at," Sandoval said.
Several law enforcement agencies are at the scene, including the FBI.
"Their role is they are helping us out simply because there were some migrants involved and of course the migrants are under the custody and care of Border Patrol. So that's why it becomes a government entity issue," Sandoval said.
The crash is still under investigation, and Sandoval said more information will be released when it becomes available. He said the roads may be closed for a couple of hours and is asking everyone to avoid the area and seek an alternative route.
"I'd just like to remind the public to make sure they verify their information. Especially if they are seeing stuff like that...please pay attention to the big news agencies because they are the ones that verify information," Sandoval said.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.