Driver in crash charged with manslaughter

An SUV driver was charged with manslaughter after eight people died when he slammed into a group waiting at a bus stop in Brownsville, Texas, 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 plowed into a crowd outside a migrant center in the city, which has long been an epicenter for migration across the US-Mexico border.

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

Officials are awaiting toxicology reports to determine whether Alvarez was intoxicated, Sauceda said, adding that there was no motive that he could discuss. Asked about reports from witnesses that Alvarez was cursing at them, 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, Sauceda told reporters on Monday morning. Six people died on the scene and 12 people were critically injured, he said. Officials said the death toll rose later.

Alvarez tried to flee but was held down by several people on the scene, the police chief said. His bail was set at $3.6 million.

The victims were all male and several of them were from Venezuela, Sauceda said.

The deadly crash comes a day after a mass shooting at a mall in Allen, Texas, which also killed eight. The people killed by a gunman at a mall near Dallas over the weekend include two elementary school-age sisters, a couple and their 3-year-old son.

On Sunday, officials identified the gunman as Mauricio Garcia, 33. The motive for the attack remains unclear. But authorities said he might have been motivated by white supremacism and anti-immigrant sentiment.

It was the second deadliest mass shooting of the year. Not all victims' names were revealed as of Monday but at least half are Asians, authorities said.

Texas Democratic lawmakers, frustrated at trying to move gun-control bills in a GOP-dominated legislature, spoke about the shooting at a news conference in Austin on Monday.

"You have prayed for an answer," state Representative Gene Wu said. "At some point, the people blocking the laws that could help prevent these types of tragedies — at some point they take ownership of some of these tragedies."

Agencies contributed to this story.