Driver of SUV kills multiple people and injures others near migrant shelter in Texas

Brownsville police are, as of now, unclear if the crash was intentional

By Kelly McClure

Nights & Weekends Editor

Published May 7, 2023 3:46PM (EDT)

Police work at the scene after a driver crashed into several people in Brownsville, Texas, on May 7, 2023 (MOISES AVILA/AFP via Getty Images)
Police work at the scene after a driver crashed into several people in Brownsville, Texas, on May 7, 2023 (MOISES AVILA/AFP via Getty Images)

On Sunday morning, not even 24-hours after a deadly mass shooting that claimed the lives of at least 8 people at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas, police are investigating a new tragedy in Brownsville.

According to CNN, police received a call at 8:30 am CT that a Land Rover had hit several people waiting for the bus across the street from the Ozanam Center, a non-profit migrant homeless shelter.

As of Sunday afternoon, police are reporting that 7 are dead from the collision and up to half a dozen others suffered injuries as a result of it.

The driver of the SUV — who has yet to be identified — was held at the scene by witnesses, according to AP News, and is being tested for intoxication while held in custody by authorities. 

Surveillance footage obtained from security cameras at the shelter shows the Range Rover running a light that's about 100 feet away, at which point the "SUV flipped after running up on the curb and continued moving for about 200 feet."


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According to the shelter's director, Victor Maldonado, "most of the victims were Venezuelan men," and as AP News highlights in their coverage, "The Ozanam shelter is the only overnight shelter in the city of Brownsville and manages the release of thousands of migrants from federal custody."

Per CNN, "The crash happened just days before a Trump-era immigration restriction dubbed Title 42 is set to expire. Officials have predicted a rise in immigration in coming weeks when the restrictions are lifted Thursday."


By Kelly McClure

Kelly McClure is Salon's Nights and Weekends Editor covering daily news, politics and culture. Her work has been featured in Vulture, The A.V. Club, Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, Nylon, Vice, and elsewhere.

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