Days after Texas bus stop crash, little information about victims – Winnipeg Free Press

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Two days after eight people were killed when a pickup truck crashed into a crowd waiting at a Brownsville bus stop, information about the victims remains sparse, leaving family members of the victims missing people fight to locate their loved ones and plead for information.

Authorities say the driver, George Alvarez, 34, of Brownsville, lost control after running a red light Sunday morning, but they have not ruled out that he intentionally crashed into the stop outside the Obispo Enrique San Pedro Ozanam, a refuge and center for migrants crossing into the country from nearby Mexico.

Eighteen people were injured and 10 were seriously injured.

Fingerprints were collected from the victims. All were men and several were from Venezuela, according to Brownsville police, but none of their identities have been released so far.

Police said Tuesday that the department has a list of more than 120 names of people who want to know if their relatives are among the victims. They include dozens of photos and contact information submitted by desperate families, all fearing a bad news phone call.

“I know that everyone wants to know the names,” said investigator Martín Sandoval, a spokesman for the department.

One woman who managed to locate a missing relative is 23-year-old Mileidy González, whose 45-year-old uncle, Juan Carlos Paredes, was injured in the accident. She found out from news reports and from a migrant staying at the shelter, and relatives were able to identify Paredes on video.

One of the relatives called several hospitals before finally finding his uncle. They were told that he was in delicate condition and that they have not been able to communicate directly with him.

“Her leg, back and part of her clavicle. They are waiting for specialists to find out if he needs surgery,” González said by phone.

Another name on the police list belongs to Héctor David Medina-Medero, a 24-year-old Venezuelan who cut hair at the Ozanam shelter. On Tuesday, his mother waited outside the police department, expecting the worst.

“My son is dead. I know,” said Marilin de los Ángeles Medero Piña. “My heart tells me.”

Police will use the list to notify families once the confirmation process is complete, but the circumstances of the accident have caused delays, according to Sandoval. Complicating the matter is the fact that many of the victims did not have official identification.

“How the accident happened, there were a lot of documents that flew everywhere,” he said. “Trying to match a document to a person in that state is a bit difficult, especially when someone is deceased.”

Alvarez, the driver, has been charged with eight counts of manslaughter and 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, with bail set at $3.6 million. Investigators have been working to determine if the accident may have been intentional.

Jesús Ferrer, 32, was lined up at the bus stop on Sunday with a group of migrants, including some friends, when they noticed the vehicle heading their way.

“We saw a gray SUV coming at full speed. He came towards us and veered towards us,” she said.

Ferrer said the driver tried to flee afterwards, but the group stopped him.

He added that the man was furious and told those who detained him that they arrived “’go back to your country.’”

Another witness, Luis Herrera, 36, said the driver yelled a series of obscenities in Spanish commonly used in Mexico as he ran into the crowd.

“’You are trespassing on my property,’” Herrera recalls him telling her.

Herrera was thrown to the side by the vehicle and injured his wrist, but was medically evaluated and released without serious injury.

“Physically I’m fine, but psychologically I’m not fine after everything that happened,” he said.

Police Chief Felix Sauceda said Monday that police had not confirmed witness reports that the driver cursed at people.

On Tuesday, Brownsville police said they were aware of a toxicology report from the hospital indicating that Alvarez had cocaine, marijuana and benzodiazepines in his system.

But Sandoval said the report can’t be relied on to determine whether the driver may have been legally under the influence at the time, since those drugs can stay in one’s system for days or weeks.

Police are waiting for separate toxicology reports that can determine if Alvarez had certain amounts of drugs in his system, Sandoval added.

Those struck by the vehicle were waiting for the bus to go to downtown Brownsville after spending the night at the shelter, according to Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley. It is the only overnight shelter in the city and receives migrants in federal custody.

Brownsville has seen a surge of Venezuelan immigrants in the past two weeks for reasons that remain unclear, prompting city officials to indefinitely extend an emergency declaration.

Approximately 30,000 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, have entered the US in the Brownsville region since mid-April. That compares with the 1,700 Border Patrol agents found in the first two weeks of April.