Texas driver who crashed into bus stop outside migrant shelter found guilty

A Texas jury on Friday found a driver guilty of drunken manslaughter in the deaths of eight people who were struck by an SUV that plowed into a crowded bus stop outside a migrant shelter on the U.S.-Mexico border.

The verdict came from a Cameron County jury more than a year after authorities said George Alvarez lost control of a vehicle after running a red light. The deadly scene occurred in Brownsville, which has long been an epicenter of migration.

Alvarez was convicted of eight counts of intoxication manslaughter following a weeklong trial, Cameron County Prosecutor Edward Sandoval said.

The sentencing phase of the trial was scheduled to begin later Friday. He faces up to 160 years in prison.

A shelter operator said the victims struck by the vehicle were waiting for the bus to return to downtown Brownsville after spending the night at the shelter. Authorities said Alvarez tried to flee after hitting 18 people, but was restrained by several people who witnessed the scene.

Prosecutors said there was ample evidence that Alvarez was intoxicated, the Brownsville Herald reported. Alvarez admitted to using cocaine but said he last used it several days before the crash, the newspaper reported.

Brownsville Police Chief Felix Sauceda said at the time of the crash the SUV ran a red light, lost control, rolled onto its side and struck 18 people. Six people died on the spot and 12 others were seriously injured. The victims were all men and several of them were from Venezuela. The center’s director told CBS News that the shelter receives between 80 and 120 migrants per day.

One of the victims, Angel Carvacas, was waiting at the bus stop because he was on his way to meet his mother, his cousin Silbio told CBS NewsSilbio witnessed the accident and said he saw Carvacas “on the ground.”

“It felt like the world was falling apart,” Sibio said.

Carvacas and his mother were traveling to New York to begin their new life in the United States, according to Silbio.

“He took great care of his family,” Silbio said. “He was very worried about his family.”