The killer also sustained injuries and was taken into custody, where police say he has been non-compliant. No motive has yet been established for the killing. However, authorities are investigating the incident as possibly an intentional massacre.
Responding to an influx of migrants, primarily from Venezuela, passing through the region, the city of Brownsville indefinitely extended a state of emergency in a May 4 disaster declaration.
In response to the killing, Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, along with auxiliary bishop Mario Alberto Avilés, offered a Mass at the Ozanam Center Sunday evening.
I, with Bp Mario & local clergy, said Mass at the Ozanam Center this evening, to offer consolation to the immigrants and staff.
Pray for those who saw it happen; they are devastated. Many first responders attended the Mass; pray for them also, for the burden they carry is great. pic.twitter.com/372n51B17P— Amigo de Frodo (@bpdflores) May 8, 2023
According to a statement released by Flores on May 7, the Ozanam Center works closely with Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley to offer shelter, care, and resources to migrants in need.
“The safety, protection, and assistance of the immigrant men, women, and children who have been given permission to stay in the United States remains a priority for the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville,” said Flores, adding: “We must resist the corrosive tendency to devalue the lives of immigrants, the poor, and the vulnerable.”