7 dead, 10 injured after motorist runs them down outside migrant shelter in Brownsville, Texas

Seven people are dead and ten others are injured after a motorist hit them at a bus stop. WARNING: Graphic content.

Seven people are dead and ten others are injured after a motorist hit them at a bus stop.

WARNING: Graphic content.

A driver allegedly responsible for the deaths of seven people he ran into with his car has reportedly been “very uncooperative” with police – offering authorities multiple names as they work to identify him.

Seven people were killed on Sunday, and ten others injured after the motorist allegedly ran them down as they waited at a bus stop near a migrant shelter in Brownsville, Texas, local authorities said.

The killings happened at about 8.30am in front of the Ozanam Center, which houses migrants and homeless people, according to ValleyCentral.com. It’s unclear if the incident was intentional.

Lt. Martin Sandoval told the news station that seven victims died at the scene after the grey SUV went through a red light and ran over several people.

Another ten were taken to hospital.

“The injured parties have gone up to 10. There might be more possibly coming in, because we have learned that several of the people that were injured have been transported to several hospitals throughout the valley. So those numbers will be rising,” he said.

Seven people are dead and ten others are injured after a motorist hit them at a bus stop.

Video, which is too graphic to publish, captured the horrifying incident. The migrants were seen sitting on the kerb when a vehicle approached at high speed.

The Range Rover veered into the group, sending people flying into the air.

The vehicle then flipped, rolled and skidded out of frame.

Shocking clips showed dead bodies — as well as people crying in pain with horrific injuries included an amputated leg.

Most of the victims were Venezuelan men.

Only a handful of the people from the large group waiting at the bus stop walked away from the incident.

A man arrested at the scene where seven people were killed and and ten others are injured after a motorist hit them at a bus stop.

The victims were among a crowd of about 25 people waiting at a bus stop, according to Victor Maldonado, the executive director of the Ozanam Center, a homeless shelter across the street from the crash.

The group, whom he said were all Venezuelan, had just eaten breakfast at the facility.

He described a grisly scene, with body parts left behind along the street.

Witnesses were “really shocked,” Maldonado told AFP.

“It was pretty intense.”

Authorities have brought the unidentified suspect to the hospital, where he is being checked for alcohol and drug use. PPV-TAHOE / Twitter

The homeless centre is open 24 hours per day, Maldonado said, as “we’ve been housing individuals coming from Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, China, Ukraine – and multiple Venezuelans,” he added.

Authorities have brought the suspect — an unidentified Hispanic man — to the hospital, where he is being checked for alcohol and drug use.

He is being held under 24-hour guard watch, police said, revealing to local media he has been very uncooperative, offering up several fake names.

“Now, we don’t know the actual cause of the accident. Like I said, it could be three different things. One, he could be intoxicated. Two, it could be just an accidental one or three, it could be intentional,” Sandoval said.

Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. of Cameron County said the scene was “very graphic”.

“They looked like very serious injuries,” he told the New York Times.

“It’s a tragedy either way, but if it was intentional, it’s worse.”

Michael Eduardo de Aponte Fonseca, who witnessed the incident, said the driver yelled anti-immigration insults as he fled.

Brownsville, Texas: Authorities said the victims were waiting at a city bus stop outside the shelter. Picture: Twitter

The Range Rover was heavily damaged by the incident. Picture: MSNBC

Police have charged the motorist with reckless driving, though they will likely file more charges, Lt Sandoval said, especially if the act was intentional.

One of the survivors, Luis Herrera, told local media many of the group were waiting for a ride to the airport when they were struck.

“We were going to the airport, and it happened unexpectedly because a woman in a car passed by and advised us to separate and moments later, the killer was coming in the car gesturing and insulting us,” Herrera said.

Authorities, including the FBI, have launched an investigation to see whether the fatal crash was an accident or intentional, he added.

Seven people were killed Sunday and ten others injured after a motorist allegedly ran them down near a Texas migrant shelter. Picture: AFP

The news of the tragedy comes as authorities brace for the lifting on Thursday of a Donald Trump-era federal policy that allows border patrol officers to deport or turn away migrants without even accepting their asylum applications.

The looming expiration of the rule known as Title 42 has authorities fearing a spike in undocumented migrants entering the United States.

The homeless shelter across the street from where the crash occurred is currently housing some migrants due to the current “influx” of people crossing the border from Mexico, according to Lt Sandoval.

A Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez has released a statement in the wake of the tragedy.

“As we continue to receive information on the tragic incident that occurred today, we have yet to receive evidence that this was an intentional act,” Mendez said.

“Our police department continues with the investigation after apprehending the driver of the vehicle at the scene.

“The driver has thus far been uncooperative. It is expected that our police department will hold a press conference tomorrow morning.”

– With AFP and the New York Post

Originally published as 7 dead, 10 injured after motorist runs them down outside migrant shelter in Brownsville, Texas