San Antonio (CNN)When San Antonio police officers react to the scene of a tractor trailer carrying dozens of immigrants. , They wanted to rescue the resident, police chief William McManus told CNN. Instead, they found a"beyond the tragic" scene.
"This was a crime against humanity. It was nothing but pure evil. Someone could make this happen to anyone, let alone many. I was able to do it, "said the chief.
McManus, who has been a member of the law enforcement agency since 1975, was reluctant to explain the graphic scene.
"The floor of the trailer, it was completely covered with body. It was completely covered with body," he said. "When we arrived, when the EMS arrived, we were still trying to find people alive, so there were at least 10 or more bodies outside the trailer, so we were on the ground from the trailer. I had to move the body to. "
The emergency responder's radio traffic posted on the scanner's website Broadcastify.com calls for more help in the field. I can hear you. "There are too many bodies here," says the man.
About 10 minutes later, another man said: "We need someone to handle. Everyone in the field, including my DI, is tied up with support. About 20 or more victims have been killed."
K-9 No further casualties were found after searching the area in, McManus said.
Authorities in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras say they are working with the United States to identify those who have died.
A suspicious driver of the truck was found trying to leave the scene, McManus said. In Broadcastify's recordings, one said the man was seen running near some railroad tracks, while another kept an eye out for a driver who appeared to be a man in a brown shirt. Say there is.
The chief said a police helicopter tracked the suspect and the suspect was eventually detained in the field. The chief did not enter into the state or attitude of the suspect.
According to a news release from the US Department of Justice, 45-year-old Homero Zamorano Jr. was arrested on Wednesday. Surveillance footage from the immigration camera showed that the driver of the 18-wheeled vehicle was wearing a black stripe and a hat.
"(San Antonio Police) officers were taken to the location of an individual who was later identified as Samorano. He was observed hiding in a brush after attempting to abandon. Zamorano was detained by an SAPD officer. "DOJ Release said.
Samorano, who lives in Pasadena, Texas, has been accused of having died in a single alien smuggling, according to the release.
CNN could not determine if he had a lawyer.
11 people still in the hospital
According to the US Immigration and Customs Department, 11 of the 16 survivors are still in the hospital. At least two patients are in critical condition, according to hospital officials.
Gustavo Garcia Syrah, the Archbishop of the Parish of San Antonio, said that when visited earlier this week, most of the survivors were either unresponsive or unable to communicate due to their condition. Stated.
"They were all obsessed with machines and some were intubated, so there was no possibility of dialogue. My place prays to think about their family. I knew that I was talking to a real person who was suffering, and that God knew their hearts, "Garcia Schiller told CNN.
After the survivors visited the six treated hospitals, the Archbishop said he could only talk to a 16-year-old girl in Guatemala. According to Garcia Schiller, she couldn't get in touch with her family because the girl had to give up her phone.
"Her dialogue was to ensure that everyone there to help her was alive," he said.
"She was the last person I saw, looked at everything else, she seemed to be in very good condition, and the nurse told me she was fine, They needed to make sure she was kept. As expected in her reaction, she wasn't very talkative, "he added.
The Archbishop said he was able to communicate with another survivor at another hospital with just the gesture of his hand.
"I invited her to trust. I guarantee she was successful and I hope she will be fully recovered. For immigrants, especially if you are around It's very difficult to trust people in your room. Meet one or two officials at the door of your room, "he said.
García-Siller has been working with immigrants since the 1980s, but said he has never seen so many people die in a single incident.
"People were abandoned to die. They were dying and burning in the place. No water or food, you can imagine a natural physical need. It's hard to imagine what happened in that box, the dark box .. I invite you and respect people. People are people. Others as you want them to treat you Please treat the person, "he said.
Memorial to the Victims
A makeshift monument continues to grow on the desolate road outside San Antonio where the truck was found. increase.
In almost silence on Wednesday, dozens of families laid flowers, candles with images of Virgen de Guadalupe, and gallons of water.
The word "immigrant", just a few feet away from the Honduras flag, is now replaced by a sign that says "53 humans".
Some of the people who visited the monument wore the Honduras National Soccer Team jersey. Many spoke Spanish and indigenous Maya, praying and holding their phones, and showed the monument during a video call with relatives outside the United States. ..
"My aunt in Honduras asked me to call from here. She was the first to tell me what happened," she was making a video call. The woman said.
A few yards away on Wednesday, the second monument surrounding clothing and two pairs of black sneakers began. A group of people who believed in clothes could have belonged to some of the truck immigrants, laying them flat and putting a pair of candles around them.
Texas increases track checkpoints
On Monday, the truck passed a checkpoint north of Laredo, Texas. The district includes Laredo and San Antonio. Found near 150 miles north of the border.
Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott said on Wednesday that the state added checkpoints for trucks and the Public Security Agency (DPS) "created and implemented a checkpoint strategy and started immediately. Announced to start targeting tracks like before. Used in this case. "
Abbott also said the state has created two strike teams to "detect, deter, and arrest" illegal crossroads of immigrants.
According to Abbott, a team of 20 soldiers each will be deployed in the border town Eagle Pass, and additional units will be deployed at "busy crossroads as needed". increase. The governor said resources were being deployed to "mitigate President Byden's growing border crisis."
After the horrifying discovery on Monday, Mallorcus said on social media: "When individuals such as families, women and children embarked on this dangerous journey, so many lives were lost."
White House spokesman Carine Jean-Pierre briefed Wednesday. I repeated these words. "As Secretary Mallorcus said, there are too many lives lost in this dangerous journey. We continue to act to destroy the life-threatening human smuggling network. They explode. Masu-exploit and endanger for profit, "Jean Pierre said.