Brownsville crash – latest: Texas driver George Alvarez yelled anti-migrant insults, says witness

A witness to the car crash that killed eight people outside a migrant shelter in Texas says the driver made anti-immigrant remarks before he was detained by members of the public.

Suspect George Alvarez, 34, has been charged with eight counts of manslaughter and 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after Sunday morning’s incident.

Police say they are still investigating whether the crash was intentional as well as the driver’s alleged remarks.

Earlier police revealed that Mr Alvarez has a lengthy criminal history, including multiple assault charges.

And shocking security camera footage shared by Texas congressman Henry Cuellar showed the moment a grey Ranger Rover, travelling along North Minnesota Avenue towards Boca Chica Boulevard, smashed into the crowd outside of the city’s Bishop Enrique San Pedro Ozanam Center.

The Venezuelan government has called for an investigation to determine if the crash was deliberate and motivated by hate or xenophobia, after it emerged that several of the victims were from Venezuela.

Key Points

• Death toll rises to eight from horror crash at Texas bus stop

• Driver behind crash named as George Alvarez

• Shocking video captures moments before fatal incident at Brownsville migrant shelter

• Injured man says driver insulted migrants and shouted: ‘You’re invading my property!'

• Venezuela calls for hate crime investigation

A Venezuelan migrant who survived the crash is worried for the future of his family

16:10 , Graig Graziosi

Telemundo’s Noticias gained access to one of the victims struck and injured during the Brownsville crash that left eight people dead and 10 seriously hurt.

Gabriel Gallardo spoke with Noticias from his hospital bed where he is recovering from the crash. His leg was severed after George Alvarez, the driver, allegedly ran into him and more than a dozen other men waiting for a bus in Brownsville.

Mr Gallardo said he set out for the US to try to build a future for his children, but now fears his “dreams are broken.”

‘’I came to look for a better future for my children and now it turns out that I have no legs. My dreams have all been broken,’’ he says in the interview.

Man arrested for allegedly pointing gun at migrant centre near Brownsville crash site

15:08 , Graig Graziosi

A man was reportedly arrested after he was spotted pointing a gun at the Ozanam Centre in Brownsville, Texas. Eight people — many migrants — were killed just outside the centre’s gates over the weekend after George Alvarez, 34, allegedly hit them with his car.

On Monday, a driver reportedly approached the migrant centre’s gate with a gun and attempted to enter, prompting a lockdown. News Nation’s Ali Bradley was at the centre when it happened and spoke with witnesses who said they saw a man in a blue car with a gun try to ram the gates to the centre with his vehicle.

Police later arrested a man matching the description of the suspect. He was charged with marijuana possession. It is unclear if police found a weapon.

What are the charges?

13:53 , Rachel Sharp

Suspect George Alvarez, 34, has been charged with eight counts of manslaughter and 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after Sunday morning’s incident.

Officials announced the charges on Monday.

Further charges could be brought as investigators seek to determine whether or not the crash was intentional.

Two days, three attacks, 18 dead: Texas reels from weekend of horror

13:30 , Rachel Sharp

The state of Texas — from the border with Mexico to the swanky suburbs north of Dallas — spent Monday reeling from unimaginable horror.

Traumatised shoppers were gathering in Allen to reclaim vehicles at the outlet mall where an active shooter on Saturday killed eight and injured seven.

Officers in Brownsville were preparing to update the public after a driver plowed into a group of migrants waiting at a bus stop, again killing eight and injuring at least 10 on Sunday morning.

And police in Dallas were holding a gunman who opened fire on a city light rail line on Sunday afternoon, killing one and injuring two.

The Independent’s Sheila Flynn reports on Texas’ horror weekend:

Two days, three attacks, 18 dead: Texas reels from horrifying weekend of violence

Greg Abbott shows off barbed wire fence in Brownsville – while ignoring migrant deaths

13:10 , Rachel Sharp

Governor Greg Abbott showed off a barbed wire fence in Brownsville on Monday night – while ignoring the deaths of eight migrants in a horror crash one day earlier.

“This is one thing Texas is doing to secure the border. This is the area near Brownsville where migrants were crossing in large numbers a few days ago. We now have it wired shut. Other areas will surface for crossing. We will wire them shut also. More to come,” he tweeted.

This comes after eight victims were killed when a man rammed into a crowd of migrants waiting at a bus stop outside a migrant shelter on Sunday.

George Alvarez’s criminal history revealed:

12:50 , Rachel Sharp

During a press conference on Monday, police noted that George Alvarez has a lengthy criminal history.

His past charges include numerous assault charges, an aggravated assault charge, and additional charges for burglary, theft, DUI, and resisting arrest.

He is currently being held on a $3.6m bond, according to CNN.

WATCH: George Alvarez charged with manslaughter

12:28 , Rachel Sharp

Vigil planned for victims for Tuesday

12:05 , Rachel Sharp

A candlelight vigil will be held on Tuesday in honour of the victims killed when a car rammed into a group of migrants outside a shelter in Brownsville, Texas.

The vigil will be held at 7pm MST outside the Sacred Heart Church on Tuesday.

“Following the tragic incident that occurred last Sunday, May 7 in Brownsville, Texas, which resulted in the deaths of 7 innocent lives, the Border Network for Human Rights will hold a vigil in solidarity with migrants across our state and nation,” said the Border Network for Human Rights in a Facebook post.

Seven victims still hospitalised after Brownsville crash

11:45 , Rachel Sharp

Seven victims are still hospitalised with their injuries in the aftermath of the Brownsville horror crash.

Eight people were killed when driver George Alvarez drove into a group of migrants who were waiting for a bus outside the migrant shelter.

The victims have not been publicly identitied.

ICYMI: Everything we know about George Alvarez

11:25 , Rachel Sharp

My colleague Graig Graziosi has rounded up all the information we currently have about the alleged driver of the SUV, George Alvarez.

Police say Mr Alvarez, 34, was well known to them thanks to a long list of previous criminal charges including assault, aggravated assault, and resisting arrest.

George Alvarez: Everything we know about driver in Brownsville crash that killed 8

There isn't any protection for us'

11:05 , Io Dodds

A witness to the crash has given a defiant message to anyone who looks down on undocumented migrants.

The 29-year-old Venezuelan man, who asked for his name to not be published, told local broadcaster KIII that he was outside the shelter when the crash occurred and that his only motive in coming to America was to give his wife and son a better life.

"There isn't any protection for us," said the man. "The people that come walking all the way over here are at the mercy of God....

"If you treat me bad because you think you're better than me, for whatever you reason – you have a house, a job, a car, whatever it is – you find a Venezuelan here walking. You should show some more empathy for us, and that goes for the whole world."

'We're all Hispanics, who feel everything that is happening'

10:45 , Io Dodds

The crash has prompted an outpouring of support from Brownsville residents, who are 95 per cent Hispanic or Latino according to the latest US census.

According to Texas broadcaster KIII, locals have held a vigil for the crash victims and set up a makeshift memorial with flowers and crosses.

"We're all Mexicans, Hispanics, who feel everything that is happening," said one resident, Maria Esparza. "Me and my family came from immigrants, and we came for a better life."

Police considering three possible explanations

10:25 , Io Dodds

Authorities say they are actively considering three distinct possibilities about Sunday's crash, according to CNN.

The first possibility is that the driver of the SUV was intoxicated (police have taken a blood sample). The second is that the car may have "malfunctioned". The third is that it was a deliberate attack.

"All of these are possibilities", Brownsville Police spokeperson Martin Sandoval told the cable news channel.

Some victims killed in car crash ‘arrived night before’

09:25 , Namita Singh

Cesar Romero, 34, a Venezuelan national who witnessed his friends being run over by the vehicle told CNN “some of the men killed had just arrived the night before”.

Mr Romero corroborated accounts by other witnesses that the driver, who police have identified as George Alvarez, tried to run away and yelled obscenities before being held by other bystanders until police arrived.

In pictures: Venezuelan migrants at a vigil near the Plaza Bus Station

09:13 , Namita Singh

Outpouring of support for migrants after Brownsville crash

09:03 , Namita Singh

Brownsville residents gathered outside Oznam Center at a makeshift memorial to pay their respects to those killed in the crash.

For a number of locals, the tragedy was personal. “We’re all Mexicans, Hispanics, who feel everything that is happening,” Rio Grande Valley Maria Esparza told ABC affiliate KIIITV.

“Not one person is prepared to encounter and experience all that journey,” a 29-year-old man said on condition of anonymity. “I can’t even mention what the dangers are the majority of this, you need luck to deal with most of this.”

“I’m here with my wife and my son,” he said. “I have family in Venezuela, still. All my family is there still. My dad, my mom, my grandparents, brothers, uncles.”

He said that while the journey to the US soil was tough, the latest incident has made it worse.

“There isn’t any protection for us,” he said. “The people that come walking all the way over here are at the mercy of God.”

“If you treat me bad because you think you’re better than me, for whatever you reason -- you have a house, a job, a car, whatever it is -- you find a Venezuelan here walking,” he said. “You should show some more empathy for us, and that goes for the whole world.”

ICYMI: Brownville mayor Trey Mendez’s update following crash

09:02 , Graig Graziosi

The city’s mayor posted an update on Facebook following the crash, noting the increased death toll, reporting the lack of information from the driver and promising a police press conference later today.

He also thanked emergency service personnel for their response and expressed his condolences to the shelter staff reeling from the tragedy.

Shocking video captures moments before car rammed into migrants outside Brownsville shelter

08:50 , Namita Singh

'I had time to think, do I jump forward or backward?'

07:31 , Io Dodds

Another Ozanam resident has described how he faced lethal danger on his trek from Venezuela to Texas, only to be nearly killed by Sunday's crash.

Yohonny Miratriz told The New York Times that he was right in the path of the SUV when it flipped on its side and skidded towards a group of migrants waiting outside the shelter.

"I had time to think, do I jump forward or backward?" said Mr Miratriz. “Which way would give me a better chance at survival?" He went forward, and the truck clipped his leg.

"At first it didn’t hurt. I was in shock, but then the pain came rushing. How did I survive? I think only God knows," he said, adding that one of his friends died in the crash.

It was a grim welcome for someone who already felt lucky to have survived the difficult foot journey from Venezuela.

Mr Miratriz said that while climbing over sharp rocks in the mountainous Darién Gap that links South America to Central America, he watched a woman slip and fall to her death.

"I just kept walking, because I knew that if I hesitated, I could fall to my death too," he told the Times.

It’s a terrible, tragic event, says judge

07:29 , Namita Singh

Cameron county judge Eddie Treviño Jr said on Monday that does not know whether Sunday’s crash was a hate crime, as he mourned the “loss of souls”.

“I think the community as a whole is in mourning for the loss of the souls,” Judge Treviño said at the Brownsville Police station on Monday, where the suspect, George Alvarez, was being held.

“It’s a terrible, tragic event. And regardless, whether it was intentional or accidental, it doesn’t matter. Those now eight individuals that lost their lives and the other 10 that are hospitalised, we’re praying for them and for their families.”

There’s still no confirmation whether the driver struck the group of people intentionally as a hate crime, as police continue to investigate the motive.

“I hope it wasn’t [deliberate],” Judge Treviño said. “The indications are this was just a terrible, tragic accident.”

‘I don’t feel welcome’: Migrants on edge after crash

07:26 , Namita Singh

A day after an SUV ploughed into a crowd of people waiting for a bus outside a migrant shelter in the border city of Brownsville, Texas, refugees and asylum seekers have come forward to raise concerns about their safety.

Junior, a bartender from Venezuela says he travelled for months to reach Brownsville. Looking for a construction job in the city, he said he was waiting at the bus stop when he saw a car bareling towards him. He moved five feet to the side, crouching on the ground as he covered his head with his hands.

While he escaped unhurt, another Venezuelan man he knew died.

“Thank God I am alive. But it was awful. He died right in front of me,” he told local news website Border Report. “No one here has money, so we were all waiting for the city bus.”

Only wanting to be identified by his first name, he told the outlet he is “afraid to walk on the street now”.

“I don’t feel welcome. And I tried so hard to get to this country,” he said.

Junior said the driver had been yelling at the group of migrants, and he feels the crash was a targeted attack.

Two migrants who came from Venezuela in pursuit of American Dream ‘critical’

07:03 , Namita Singh

Three out of 10 survivors of the car crash were able to go home on Monday, while seven more are still being treated at a local hospital.

Of them, two are the brother and cousin of Jose Luis Ruiz, who travelled together from Venezuela to pursue the American Dream.

He told CBS affiliate KHOU that he does not have much information about their recovery but knows that his brother suffered a severe head injury and both remain in critical condition.

‘No one feels safe anymore’, says migrant

06:49 , Namita Singh

Migrants do not “feel safe anymore” in Brownsville said an asylum seeker, after the car crash incident on Sunday in which an SUV ploughed through 18 people standing at a bus stop near the overnight shelter.

“I don’t feel safe anymore. No one there feels safe anymore. Everyone there wants to leave,” said Jesus Moreno, a migrant in Brownsville told ABC affiliate KSAT-12.

Also a witness to the crash, he told the outlet that he knew one of the victims.“It’s a moment where you enter shock,” Mr Moreno said.

“The mentality of that 18-year-old that died there was different. He wanted to work. He wanted to buy his mom a house.”

“It’s dangerous,” he said of migrants. “The people are scared now. The people don’t confide in anyone.”

ICYMI: Surge in arrivals from Venezuela prompted Brownsville to declare state of emergency

06:09 , Graig Graziosi

Brownsville has seen a surge in the number of Venezuelan migrants arriving over the last two weeks for unclear reasons, local authorities said in light of yesterday’s incident.

On Thursday, 4,000 of about 6,000 migrants in Border Patrol custody in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley were Venezuelan.

The surge prompted Brownsville commissioners to indefinitely extend a declaration of emergency during a special meeting held last week, as local, state and federal resources coordinated enforcement and humanitarian response.

“We don’t want them wandering around outside,” Pedro Cardenas, a city commissioner, said in the wake of Sunday’s deadly crash. “So, we’re trying to make sure they’re as comfortable as they can be so they don’t have to go out and look for anywhere else.”

Brownsville has long been an epicentre for migration across the US-Mexico border and it has become a key location of interest for next week’s end to pandemic-era border restrictions known as Title 42. The Ozanam shelter is the only overnight shelter in the city and manages the release of thousands of migrants from federal custody.

‘Victim was headed to New York to start new life’

06:06 , Namita Singh

Angel Carvacas, one of the victims killed in the Brownsville car crash, was on his way to reunite with his mother when the SUV ploughed through him.

“I saw him on the ground, it was as if the world fell apart,” his cousin, Silbio, told CBS News. The two of them were headed to New York to start their new lives in the country, he told the outlet.

“He looked out a lot for his family,” Silbio said. “He worried a lot for his family.”

‘How did I survive? I think only god knows’

05:53 , Namita Singh

Yohonny Miratriz was walking with his friend near the shelter, when he saw the SUV skidding towards him.“I had time to think, do I jump forward or backward?” he told the New York Times.

“Which way would give me a better chance at survival?”

Mr Miratriz, who made it through the rough terrain while on his way from Venezuela to Texas border, says he decided to dive head first before the truck hit his left leg.

“At first it didn’t hurt. I was in shock, but then the pain came rushing,” he told the outlet. “How did I survive? I think only God knows.”Mr Miratriz shared that he lost his friend Luis Matute to the crash, while another friend Johan Quiroz was severely injured.

‘Driver yelled anti-immigration insults’, claims witness

05:35 , Namita Singh

Michael Eduardo de Aponte Fonseca, an eyewitness, has claimed that crash driver George Alvarez yelled anti-immigration insults at the group.

“I saw what happened around me, and I didn’t want to see more,” he told the New York Times.

“I grabbed my things, and scared and in shock I crossed the street.”Most of the victims stay in Brownsville to “do odd jobs and get a little money so they can move on,” Mr Fonseca said. But, “some of those folks tonight will not reach their destination.”

Meanwhile, police were also looking into reports that he had uttered anti-immigration remarks.

Criminal history of George Alvarez

05:32 , Namita Singh

George Alvarez has a lengthy criminal history, police said during a press conference on Monday.

His past charges include numerous assault charges, an aggravated assault charge, and additional charges for burglary, theft, DUI, and resisting arrest.

He is currently being held on a $3.6m bond, according to CNN.

Mr Alvarez allegedly attempted to flee the scene of the incident after he struck the victims and rolled his jeep.

Bystanders reportedly stopped Mr Alvarez and kept him detained until police arrived. He was then taken into police custody and then to an area hospital to be treated for injuries he sustained in the wreck.

Police said Mr Alvarez was being “very uncooperative” with them during their initial investigation.

Everything we know about driver in Brownsville crash that killed eight migrants

05:15 , Namita Singh

Police in Brownsville, Texas, have identified the driver who crashed his SUV into a group of people waiting for a bus outside a migrant centre, killing eight and seriously injuring 10 others.

Since the wreck, police and the FBI have been investigating the cause of the crash, including whether or not the incident was intentional.

The government of Venezuela, noting that several of the victims were migrants from the country, has called for a thorough investigation into the driver’s motives.

Here’s everything we know about the Brownsville driver:

Vigil for victims at Texas State Capitol

05:08 , Namita Singh

A vigil was held at the Texas State Capitol on Monday night in honour of those killed after an SUV ploughed into them in Brownsville. At least eight were killed and 10 injured in the incident.

Meanwhile, NGOs advocating for migrant rights sought justice for the victims.

“We grieve for the victims in Brownsville, Texas who were run over outside a migrant shelter where people from around the world are seeking asylum and safety,” Oni Blair, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas, was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.

“We understand the motive is still under investigation,” she said as she urged the authorities to ensure that witnesses feel safe enough to give their account without fear of retribution or deportation.

“This horrific event comes after weeks of escalating anti-immigrant policy-making by Texas politicians and while the Biden administration considers imposing a new asylum ban aimed at deterring, rather than welcoming, migrants seeking protection,” she told the outlet.

Catholic Charities director: ‘Migrants don’t service this tragic reality’

04:55 , Graig Graziosi

Sister Norma Pimentel, the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, said the Ozanam Center in Brownsville typically houses some migrants overnight and had received no direct threats in connection with the border crisis in recent weeks.

Sister Pimentel said it was “truly unfortunate that this tragic thing happened,” according to NBC.

“It’s something that, with all the attention to the migrants, it must pick up the attention to those who are against them.”

Migrants “don’t deserve to face this tragic reality,” she added.

Venezuela calls for hate crime investigation

04:47 , Namita Singh

The Venezuelan government called for an investigation to determine if the incident was motivated by hate or xenophobia after it emerged that the victims were all male and several of them from Venezuela.

The local police have so far not ruled out the possibility of the crash being intentional, said officials, adding they are awaiting toxicology reports to determine whether driver George Alvarez was intoxicated as he drove into a group waiting at a bus stop in Brownsville.

Brownsville, a city of some 165,000 people on the US border with Mexico, and other communities are bracing for a likely surge in migrants when a Covid-19 restriction known as Title 42 is set to end on Thursday.

Title 42, in place since 2020, allows US authorities to quickly expel migrants caught crossing the border illegally, without giving them the chance to seek US asylum.

Driver George Alvarez’s charged with manslaughter

04:15 , Namita Singh

An SUV driver who killed eight people when he slammed into a group waiting at a bus stop in Brownsville, Texas, was charged with manslaughter, police said on Monday as investigators tried to determine if the crash was intentional.

Authorities believe driver George Alvarez, 34, of Brownsville, lost control after running a red light on Sunday morning, and ploughed into a crowd outside a migrant centre in the city, which has long been an epicentre for migration across the US-Mexico border.

Police Chief Felix Sauceda said Mr Alvarez was charged with eight counts of manslaughter and 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

‘We’ll see each other in a bit’: Victims’ friend shares last conversation he had with them

04:12 , Namita Singh

On Monday morning, Jackson Duarte, 30, a Venezuelan migrant, was sporting a haircut from a friend he made at the Ozanam shelter, where they were both staying.

It was the last haircut he’d receive from him.

Mr Duarte said three people he met at the shelter were among the victims; two of them died while a third is in the hospital with a missing limb. He said one of his friends who was killed was a barber, and the other was a young man who had recently celebrated a birthday.

Shortly before the crash, Mr Duarte had decided to share an Uber with a friend rather than wait for the bus downtown. It was during that ride that Mr Duarte began receiving messages about the fatal accident through WhatsApp.

“When I got there, the survivors had already been taken. I counted about seven people who had died,” he recalled.Mr Duarte said his friend, whom he described as a studious and ambitious young man, was going downtown to reunite with his mother after crossing the border. Only Mr Duarte made it to the bus station.

“Unfortunately, I had to share that with his mom,” he said. “She was desperate, because her son had just turned 18 years old and they had gone through so much trying to get here just so that he’d lose his life here.”

His other friend, the barber, was also heading downtown to look for a cellphone after raising money by offering haircuts, he had told Mr Duarte.

Mr Duarte said his friend told him “We’ll see each other in a bit,” and that it was one of the last things his friend said to him.

“It hit me really hard. I still feel bad. I don’t believe it. I don’t feel well. I couldn’t sleep all night,” Mr Duarte said, breaking down as he thought about his friends who lost their lives.

Police awaits driver’s toxicology report

04:10 , Namita Singh

Officials are awaiting toxicology reports to determine whether driver George Alvarez was intoxicated as he drove into a group waiting at a bus stop in Brownsville, Police Chief Felix Sauceda said, adding that there was no motive that he could discuss.

Asked about reports from witnesses that the accused was cursing at them, Mr Sauceda said there was nothing to confirm that yet.

The SUV ran a red light, lost control, flipped on its side and hit 18 people, Mr Sauceda told reporters Monday morning. Six people died on the scene and 12 people were critically injured, he said. Officials have said the death toll rose later.

Mr Alvarez tried to flee, but was held down by several people on the scene, he said. His bail was set at $3.6m.

First responders joined Sunday night prayer vigil after car crash tragedy

03:48 , Graig Graziosi

The aforementioned Bishop Flores said Mass at the Ozanam migrant shelter last night for the victims of yesterday’s horrific road smash.

“Many first responders attended the Mass,” he states. “Pray for them also, for the burden they carry is great.”

Ozanam resident describes near miss with danger

03:00 , Io Dodds

A resident of the Ozanam migrant shelter has described his near miss with catastrophe after making a last-minute decision to take an Uber instead of a bus.

Jackson Duarte, 30, from Venezuela, told the Associated Press that he might have been one of the migrants waiting for transport outside the shelter had he not decided to share a taxi with a friend.

While in the car, he said, they began getting WhatsApp messages about the tragedy. Two of his friends at the shelter were killed, and the second is in hospital with a missing limb.

One of the dead was young man who had recently celebrated his birthday. The other was a barber who had recently cut Mr Duarte's hair, and who was heading downtown to reunite with his mother after crossing the US border.

"Unfortunately, I had to share that with his mom," Mr Duarte said. "She was desperate, because her son had just turned 18 years old and they had gone through so much trying to get here just so that he’d lose his life here...

"It hit me really hard. I still feel bad. I don’t believe it. I don’t feel well. I couldn’t sleep all night," Duarte said, breaking down as he thought about his friends who lost their lives.

Brownsville bishop: ‘We must resist the corrosive tendency to devalue the lives of immigrants’

01:59 , Graig Graziosi

Bishop Daniel Flores of the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville has issued the following pointed statement on Sunday’s tragedy.

“As we await a fuller report from law enforcement authorities, let us stop for a moment to mourn these losses of life and to pray. Pray for the victims, pray for the families and loved ones, and pray for our community,” Bishop Flores said.

“We must resist the corrosive tendency to devalue the lives of immigrants, the poor, and the vulnerable. Let us take extra steps as a local community to care for and protect one another, especially the most vulnerable.”

George Alvarez: Everything we know

01:10 , Io Dodds

What do we know so far about the alleged driver George Alvarez?

The 34-year-old, described by police as "very uncooperative", reportedly has a lengthy criminal history – including assault, burglary, driving under the influence, and resisting arrest.

Police have not ruled out the possibility that this was deliberate attack, and are investigating claims that the driver was hurling invective at migrants just before the crash.

My colleague Graig Graziosi explains more here.

George Alvarez: Everything we know about driver in Brownsville crash that killed 8

How Texas’s weekend of violence unfolded

Tuesday 9 May 2023 00:07 , Io Dodds

The state of Texas, from the border with Mexico to the swanky suburbs north of Dallas, has spent today reeling from unimaginable horror.

In three separate incidents over two days, 18 people were killed:

• Eight by a shooter in Dallas on Saturday afternoon, plus the gunman himself

• Eight more by the SUV that drove into a crowd yesterday morning

• One more in a shooting on Dallas's DART metro line yesterday afternoon

In a new feature, my colleague Sheila Flynn explains how this weekend of violence unfolded and how it has affected Texans. You can read her full story here.

Two days, three attacks, 18 dead: Texas reels from horrifying weekend of violence

Shocking video captures moments before car rammed into migrants outside Brownsville shelter

Monday 8 May 2023 23:00 , Graig Graziosi

Shelter director describes horror crash

Monday 8 May 2023 22:00 , Graig Graziosi

The director of the migrant shelter where the crash unfolded has spoken out about the horror scene.

Victor Maldonado, the director of the Ozanam Center, told CNN that there was about 20 to 25 migrants outside the centre waiting for a bus.

He said the migrants were from Venezuala and had come to the shelter about two or three days earlier.

Security footage from the shelter captured what happened next.

The SUV sped quickly along the road, crashing into the group.

Mr Maldonado said he and a staff member ran outside and came across the horrific scene with victims’ body parts strewn around.

He said that they are both still “in shock” from what they saw.

Everything we know about the Brownsville, Texas crash that killed 8 people outside a migrant centre

Monday 8 May 2023 20:16 , Graig Graziosi

Eight people were killed and 10 others injured after a driver in Brownsville, Texas, plowed his SUV into a group pedestrians waiting for a bus.

Many of the individuals hit by the SUV were migrants who had just left a nearby migrant centre, according to Brownsville police.

The crash comes at a time when Texans are still recovering from another shocking tragedy involving public violence — a mass shooting at an outlet mall in Allen — and just weeks after Brownsville issued a state of emergency due to an influx of Venezuelan migrants to the region.

Here’s everything we know about the crash:

Everything we know about the Brownsville, Texas crash that killed 8 people

Driver in Brownsville wreck held on $3.6m bond

Monday 8 May 2023 19:25 , Graig Graziosi

George Alvarez, 34, the man identified by police as the driver of a grey SUV that slammed into migrants in Brownsville, Texas, is reportedly being held on a $3.6m bond, according to the city’s police chief, Felix Sauceda.

The wreck left eight people — many Venezuelan migrants — dead and 10 others seriously injured.

Mr Alvarez has been charged with eight counts of manslaughter and 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Venezuela calls on US law enforcement to fully investigate the cause of the fatal Brownsville crash

Monday 8 May 2023 18:37 , Graig Graziosi

The Venezuelan government issued a statement calling on US authorities to fully investigate the cause of the crash that left 8 people — many Venezuelan migrants — dead and 10 others injured.

Caracas has asked for police to thorougly investigate “in order to rule out any intentions related to hate and xenophobic practices against Venezuelan people ... a product of a culture of violence and intolerance promoted by extremist sectors of US politics and society.”

FBI pictured at the scene of Brownsville crash

Monday 8 May 2023 17:25 , Joe Sommerlad

With the investigation still ongoing and the local police department leaving many questions unanswered after that brief press conference, here is a short clip of federal agents visiting the scene on Sunday.

George Alvarez pictured in police mugshot

Monday 8 May 2023 16:55 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s a picture of the suspect in Sunday’s deadly car crash, courtesy of the Brownsville PD.

Driver behind crash named as George Alvarez

Monday 8 May 2023 16:43 , Joe Sommerlad

Brownsville police chief Felix Sauceda names the suspect in the case as Brownsville resident George Alvarez, 34, whom he says has an extensive cirminal record.

He says the department is still awaiting toxicology results from the suspect and that it is too soon to determine a motive, telling one reporter that investigators have not yet definitively ruled whether the episode was an accident or intentional.

He adds that the victims are all male and that the investigation remains ongoing before swiftly departing, answering only a handful of questions from the press.

My colleague Graig Graziosi has this report on the latest developments.

George Alvarez identified as driver in Texas migrant shelter crash

Brownsville police to give press conference

Monday 8 May 2023 16:20 , Joe Sommerlad

The local police department in Texas are due to give an update in around 10 minutes’ time, livestreaming on Facebook.

Recap: Shocking video captures moment before car rammed into migrants

Monday 8 May 2023 15:50 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s the latest on the security camera footage of the incident, of which we are only able to share an abridged version for reasons of sensitivity.

Shocking video captures moment before car rammed into migrants in Brownsville

Ozanam Center director: ‘People have come by the gate to say the reason this happened is because of us’

Monday 8 May 2023 15:20 , Joe Sommerlad

Despite the tensions surrounding the influx of Venezuelan migrants and the subsequent declaration of emergency, Sister Norma Pimentel, the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, said the Ozanam shelter had not received any direct threats prior to Sunday’s events.

Victor Maldonado, the center’s director, likewise said there had been no prior threats – but there have been since.

“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,” he told the AP.

Surge in arrivals from Venezuela prompted Brownsville to declare state of emergency

Monday 8 May 2023 14:50 , Joe Sommerlad

Brownsville has seen a surge in the number of Venezuelan migrants arriving over the last two weeks for unclear reasons, local authorities said in light of yesterday’s incident.

On Thursday, 4,000 of about 6,000 migrants in Border Patrol custody in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley were Venezuelan.

The surge prompted Brownsville commissioners to indefinitely extend a declaration of emergency during a special meeting held last week, as local, state and federal resources coordinated enforcement and humanitarian response.

“We don’t want them wandering around outside,” Pedro Cardenas, a city commissioner, said in the wake of Sunday’s deadly crash. “So, we’re trying to make sure they’re as comfortable as they can be so they don’t have to go out and look for anywhere else.”

Brownsville has long been an epicentre for migration across the US-Mexico border and it has become a key location of interest for next week’s end to pandemic-era border restrictions known as Title 42. The Ozanam shelter is the only overnight shelter in the city and manages the release of thousands of migrants from federal custody.

About 2,500 migrants have crossed through the Rio Grande river daily into Brownsville in the past few days, Mr Cardenas said.

He added that Border Patrol is aware of the city’s capacity of 1,000 at their processing area near the crossing point and a downtown building where city employees and volunteers guide migrants on how to purchase bus or plane tickets to their final destinations. The city is considering expanding those services to accommodate needs in the coming days, Mr Cardenas said.

While 80 per cent of people released from federal custody typically leave the same day, the city’s emergency management official said, a bottleneck has formed over the past few days.

“Most of the people coming across don’t want to stay in Brownsville, but we don’t have enough buses for them to buy their ticket to leave,” Mr Cardenas said. “Some are waiting for family members.”

The Ozanam shelter itself can hold 250 people.

“In the last two months, we’ve been getting 250 to 380 a day,” its director Victor Maldonado said.

While the shelter offers migrants transportation during the week, they also use the city’s public transportation.

Rochelle Garza, president of the Texas Civil Rights Project, said in a statement shared on Sunday afternoon: “I hope that today serves as a wake up call, and that state officials will begin investing in a humanitarian response that might have helped the people who were impacted by this morning’s tragedy.”

US representative Vicente Gonzalez said that local officials are in communication with the federal government about the crash.

“We are all extremely sad and heartbroken to have such a tragedy in our neighbourhood,” he said.

AP