Texas jury convicts driver over deaths of 8 people struck by SUV outside migrant shelter

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — A Texas jury on Friday discovered a driver responsible of intoxication manslaughter over the deaths of eight individuals who had been struck by an SUV that plowed right into a crowded bus cease exterior a migrant shelter on the U.S.-Mexico border.

The decision was handed down by a Cameron County jury greater than a 12 months after authorities say George Alvarez misplaced management of the car after working a purple gentle. The lethal scene occurred in Brownsville, which has lengthy been an epicenter for migration.

Alvarez was discovered responsible of eight counts of intoxication manslaughter on the finish of a weeklong trial, mentioned Edward Sandoval, a Cameron County prosecutor.

The sentencing part of the trial was scheduled to start later Friday. He faces as much as 160 years in jail.

A shelter operator mentioned victims struck by the car had been ready for the bus to return to downtown Brownsville after spending the evening on the in a single day shelter. Authorities mentioned Alvarez tried to flee however was held down by a number of folks on the scene.

Prosecutors mentioned there was adequate proof pointing to Alvarez being intoxicated, the Brownsville Herald reported. Alvarez admitted to utilizing cocaine however mentioned he final used it a number of days earlier than the crash, in accordance with the newspaper.

Brownsville Police Chief Felix Sauceda mentioned on the time of the crash that he SUV ran a purple gentle, misplaced management, flipped on its facet and hit 18 folks. Six folks died on the scene and 12 folks had been critically injured. The victims had been all male and several other of them had been from Venezuela.