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Third Person Dies After Being Rammed By Car At SXSW

Bystanders rush to help those who were struck by a vehicle early Thursday on Red River Street in Austin, which was crowded with people headed to South by Southwest events.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman
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MCT/Landov
Bystanders rush to help those who were struck by a vehicle early Thursday on Red River Street in Austin, which was crowded with people headed to South by Southwest events.

A third person has died after being rammed by a car last week during the SXSW festival in Austin.

The Houston Chronicle reports:

"The Travis County Medical Examiner's Office said Austin resident Sandy Le, who had been in critical condition with head injuries, died at University Medical Center Brackenridge after she was hit by a speeding car on Red River Street outside The Mohawk Club last Thursday.

"A hospital spokesman said the family was at her bedside at the time of death.

"Austin boutique clerk Jamie West, 27, and Steven Craenmehr, 35, a Dutch musician, were killed and 22 others injured in the 12:30 a.m. attack when a speeding car fleeing a police stop rammed into a crowd outside the club. Seven people, including West's husband, Evan, remained hospitalized Monday in conditions ranging from critical to good."

As we reported, authorities charged 21-year-old Rashad Charjuan Owens with one count of capital murder for allegedly ramming his car through a crowded street in an effort to avoid a drunken-driving stop.

The Austin American-Statesman reports Owens is still in jail on $3 million bail. The paper adds:

"Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo has said that aggravated assault charges would be filed against Owens in connection with the people who were injured during the incident, but police officials said Monday that the case will be now presented to grand jury. That means that any additional charges won't be announced unless the 21-year-old is indicted on them."

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.
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