After a car slammed into a bus stop in front of a homeless shelter in Texas, seven migrants perished.
According to Victor Maldonado, the Bishop Enrique San Pedro Ozanam Center’s director, a group of people can be seen sitting on a nearby curb at around 8.30am local time on Sunday on the shelter’s surveillance camera.
“This SUV, a Range Rover, just ran the light that was about 100 feet away and just went through the people who were sitting there in the bus stop,” he explained.
The majority of the victims, Mr. Maldonado continued, were guys from Venezuela.
He said that the car had flipped over after mounting the pavement and continued for another 200ft before coming to a stop.
The New York Times quoted Judge Eddie Trevino Jr of Cameron County, who said it was currently unclear whether the driver had intentionally hit the group, or whether they had simply lost control of the vehicle.
He added the driver, along with 11 others, was taken to hospital.
Brownsville Police Department say the driver was detained at the scene by witnesses, and tested for intoxication.
The condition of those receiving care is not presently known.
Judge Trevino described the scene as ‘very graphic’.
He said the injuries looked ‘very serious’ and added: ‘It’s a tragedy either way, but if it was intentional, it’s worse.’
Police have confirmed investigators are on the scene of a major incident and that roads in the area have been cordoned off.
The Texas border city is a key transit point for migrants crossing the US-Mexico border, with the Ozanam centre its only overnight shelter, managing the release of thousands of migrants from federal custody.
Director Mr Maldonado said the centre had not received any threats prior to the incident, but that intimidating statements had been made in the hours since.
He said: ‘I’ve had a couple of people come by the gate and tell the security guard that the reason this happened was because of us.’