At the time of the collision, there were countless people on the square dancing and walking around.
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A major accident unfolded in Hengdong County, Hunan Province when a man driving a four-wheel drive SUV crashed into a local market square, then got off his vehicle and started randomly slashing and stabbing people, causing a large number of casualties. At present, 9 people were killed and 46 were injured. The driver was arrested by the police and it was reported that the man already had a previous criminal record. The case is still under further investigation.
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The horrific incident occurred at 7:40 pm. Witnesses of the event said that there were lots of people dancing and walking around on the Hengdong Binjiang Square when a red Lufeng SUV suddenly rammed into the crowd, causing mass panic. The video showed that more than 10 people had been floored, while others anxiously rushed to avoid being flattened. With the sounds of sirens from ambulances and police cars flooded the scene, it was surely a harrowing experience.
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The Beiqing Daily reported that another witness of the incident said that he was driving just ahead of the red SUV, when the SUV suddenly sped up and veered into the Square, crashing into the crowd of dancing people. The witness said that he wasn't sure about the number of people inside the vehicle. After the chaos, he saw 7 or 8 people who had been hit by the car and fell down, with heavy blood loss. The driver of the SUV then got out of his car and started slashing people nearby.
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Rumours circulating online say that the driver is named Yang Zanyun, a 54 years old man from Guanxi Town, Hengdong, who allegedly had several brushes with the law in the past. Another local media reported that the driver was a cancer patient who wanted to 'retaliate against society'. The Propaganda Department of Hengdong County Party Committee said that the motives of the case are under investigation and the officials will release the results at a later date.
HOUSTON (AP) — Prosecutors in Texas announced Friday that they will seek the death penalty against two Venezuelan men who are accused of killing a 12-year-old Houston girl after they had entered the U.S. illegally.
The death of Jocelyn Nungaray was among several cases this year that became flashpoints in the debate over the nation’s immigration policies. Nungaray’s mother campaigned for President-elect Donald Trump, calling for better control of the border in the wake of her daughter’s death.
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said her office would file an official court notice later Friday that prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 22, and Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26. Each man has been charged with capital murder for Nungaray’s June 16 death. Martinez-Rangel and Peña each remained jailed on $10 million bonds.
“Jocelyn’s murder was as vile, brutal and senseless as any case in my tenure as district attorney,” Ogg said in a statement. “And it was made worse by knowing that these two men were here illegally and, had they been held after being captured at the border, they would never have had the opportunity to murder Jocelyn and destroy her family’s future.”
A new district attorney, Sean Teare, will take over prosecuting the case as Ogg lost her reelection bid in November and is set to leave office at the end of the month.
Daniel Werlinger, one of Peña's attorneys, said in an email that prosecutors had already notified defense lawyers last month about the decision to seek the death penalty.
“Today’s announcement by the outgoing District Attorney is old news,” Werlinger said.
Emails were sent seeking comment from attorneys for Martinez-Rangel.
Prosecutors allege the two men kidnapped, sexually assaulted and strangled the girl before leaving her body in shallow water below a bridge. Her body was found in a creek on June 17. A medical examiner concluded she had been strangled.
Martinez-Rangel and Peña had been arrested near El Paso by the U.S. Border Patrol after entering the country without documentation. Both were released and given notices to appear in court at a later date. Martinez-Rangel was apprehended by Border Patrol in March and Peña in May.
Republicans used Nungaray’s death and other cases in which immigrants who entered the country illegally were accused of committing violent crimes to criticize how President Joe Biden managed the U.S.-Mexico border during his administration. In another case, Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan man, was sentenced to life in prison last month for the death of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.
Trump has alleged that migrants have caused skyrocketing crime rate. Multiple studies show immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans.
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FILE - Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump comforts Alexis Nungaray and Joamel Guevara, mother and uncle of Jocelyn Nungaray, during an event along the southern border with Mexico, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Sierra Vista, Ariz. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
FILE - Franklin Pena, one of the two men accused of killing 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, is led out of the courtroom after bail was set for $10 million, Monday, June 24, 2024, in Houston. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)
FILE - Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, one of the two men accused of killing 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, is led from the courtroom by deputies on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 in Houston. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)