18-wheeler driver who allegedly fell asleep on the highway, killing 5, indicted on 9 felony charges
Alexis Osmani Gonzalez-Companioni, 27, was indicted on four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and five counts of manslaughter, according to Kaufman County court records.
Five people died and a sixth person was hospitalized after the crash on I-20 near Hiram Road on June 28, authorities said.
The crash happened at about 2:40 p.m., when the Texas Department of Public Safety said Gonzalez-Companioni allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel of his 18-wheeler and did not see stalled traffic in front of him. He then struck a Ford F-150 carrying five people.
Four of the five people in the Ford F-150 were pronounced dead at the scene, while the fifth was flown to a hospital in critical condition, DPS said in a news release.
The 18-wheeler driven by Gonzalez-Companioni was then pushed into two other 18-wheelers, causing one to jack-knife and strike a Jeep Compass, a Ford Mustang, and a Honda passenger vehicle, according to DPS.
One person in the Jeep Compass struck by the jack-knifed semi was also pronounced dead at the scene, DPS said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Man arrested after hourslong SWAT standoff at West Chester Quality Inn
This story has been updated with the identity of the suspect. A man has been arrested after SWAT engaged in an hourslong standoff with an armed suspect at a hotel in West Chester Township, according to a news release. Joshua Price, 36, was taken into custody without incident after he eventually complied in the standoff before exiting a room at the Quality Inn on Cincinnati Dayton Road, the release said. He is charged with aggravated robbery, weapons under disability and domestic violence. 'Our officers did an outstanding job responding to and investigating the initial report, which helped identify the suspect before he could escape or cause harm to others.' Police Chief Brian Rebholz said in the release. Police were initially called to hotel on Aug. 1 around 11:30 p.m. for the report of a person with a weapon in the parking lot and a possible stolen vehicle, Wooten said. West Chester spokesperson Brianna Wooten says police evacuated the hotel after detaining several individuals following a report of a person armed with a weapon who was refusing to leave. Several people fled on foot into the nearby woods, and three suspects were detained but later released. Further investigation revealed a fourth suspect was staying in a nearby hotel room, potentially armed. Officers attempted to contact the suspect at 8:34 a.m. Saturday, but he refused to come out, Wooten said. The ensuing standoff lasted for roughly four hours as hotel guests were allowed to return to their rooms around 12:36 p.m. No officers were injured during the incident. Wooten says Cincinnati-Dayton Road was closed between New Life Chapel and Interstate 75, but has since reopened. Enquirer media partner Fox19 contributed to this report. This story was updated to add a video. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: SWAT responds to report of armed person at West Chester Quality Inn
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Authorities launch investigation into ex-Trump prosecutor Jack Smith
The Office of the Special Counsel has launched an investigation into Jack Smith, the former special counsel who investigated President Trump before he returned to office, for alleged illegal political activity. The independent federal agency confirmed to CBS News on Saturday that it has launched an investigation into Smith for potential violations of the Hatch Act, a federal law that "limits certain political activities of federal employees." The New York Post was first to report on the investigation into Smith. Smith was appointed by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022 to take over two investigations into Mr. Trump's handling of classified documents and alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election. Mr. Trump pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing. Both cases resulted in criminal charges against Mr. Trump but they were closed last year after he won reelection. Smith resigned in January, days before Mr. Trump returned to office. Sen. Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, called for an investigation into Smith's conduct earlier this week and alleged that Smith had pushed for a "rushed trial" of Trump. "They were the actions of a political actor masquerading as a public official," Cotton wrote on X. "That's why I've asked this unprecedented interference in the 2024 election be immediately investigated by OSC." In May, Mr. Trump chose right-wing podcast host and MAGA loyalist Paul Ingrassia to lead the Office of Special Counsel. However, his nomination is stalled in the Senate. Mr. Trump fired the former head of the Special Counsel, Hampton Dellinger, in February. Black swimmers teach others amid history of aquatic segregation Lawyer says political pressure helped Marine Corps veteran, wife reunite after her ICE detention Katie Ledecky breaks her own record in women's swimming
Fox News
33 minutes ago
- Fox News
Patel fires back at media critics after uncovering secret FBI 'burn bags' with classified documents
FBI Director Kash Patel called out the left-wing media Saturday for labeling him a liar over his discovery of a trove of sensitive documents related to the origins of the Trump-Russia probe buried in multiple "burn bags" in a secret room inside the bureau. Sources previously told Fox News Digital the "burn bag" system is used to destroy documents designated as classified or higher. Sources also said multiple burn bags were found and filled with thousands of documents. One document FBI officials found in a burn bag, sources said, was the classified annex to former special counsel John Durham's final report, which includes the underlying intelligence he reviewed. Patel addressed the burn bags on X, reminding people of what he proved in 2017 and 2018. "In 2017/18, I proved the Steele Dossier was fictitious intelligence, weaponized by corrupt FBI officials to deceive a federal judge and unlawfully spy on then presidential candidate Trump's campaign – all paid for by his opponent," the FBI director said. "The media called me a liar. "Now I'm the FBI Director: We just uncovered burn bags/room filled with Russia Gate files, including the Durham annex, and declassified them," Patel continued. "Once again, I released the prior FBI's own documents and exposed the truth. The same media is calling me a liar again. Maybe this FBI will release more docs directly, from FBI HQ…so we can see who is lying – wouldn't want to deprive the fake news of more bogus Pulitzers." The declassification of the classified annex is being done in close coordination between CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Patel, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi and acting National Security Agency Director William Hartman. The declassified annex will be transmitted to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, who ultimately will release the document to the public. Patel, in a June interview with podcast host Joe Rogan, revealed that he found a room full of documents and computer hard drives "that no one had ever seen or heard of." "Just think about this," Patel told Rogan. "Me, as director of the FBI, the former 'Russiagate guy,' when I first got to the bureau, found a room that Comey and others hid from the world in the Hoover Building, full of documents and computer hard drives that no one had ever seen or heard of. Locked the key and hid access and just said, 'No one's ever gonna find this place.'" Patel and his staff have been working through the documents, some of which are related to sensitive investigations, including the FBI's original Trump–Russia probe, known inside the bureau as Crossfire Hurricane. It is unclear what the latest documents cover specifically, but sources told Fox News Digital that the most recent discovery was pursuant to an investigative request from Grassley. Patel has turned the documents over to Grassley. Grassley has been requesting information related to Durham's probe. Durham was appointed after then-special counsel Robert Mueller completed his yearslong investigation into the origins of the Trump–Russia probe — including intelligence community malfeasance during and in the aftermath of the 2016 election. Sources told Fox News Digital that Grassley's team is now reviewing the underlying information as part of its investigative work. As for the other records, Patel's staff is working to turn them over to Congress pursuant to investigative requests by committees of jurisdiction.
