President Trump said the death of former Arizona Cardinals linebacker Edwin Jackson by a suspected drunk driver who was in country illegally could have been avoided with stricter immigration laws.
Jackson and one other person were killed by a suspected drunk driver in Indianapolis on Sunday morning. Police later said the suspect was in the U.S. illegally and had been deported twice.
Trump commented about the death of Jackson, who most recently played for the Indianapolis Colts, in a tweet Tuesday morning.
"So disgraceful that a person illegally in our country killed @Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson. This is just one of many such preventable tragedies. We must get the Dems to get tough on the Border, and with illegal immigration, FAST!"
So disgraceful that a person illegally in our country killed @Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson. This is just one of many such preventable tragedies. We must get the Dems to get tough on the Border, and with illegal immigration, FAST!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 6, 2018
The crash happened around 4 a.m. Sunday, along I-70 near Holt Road in Indianapolis. According to a release from Indiana State Police, Edwin Jackson was the passenger in an Uber vehicle when he got sick. The driver, 54-year-old Jeffrey Monroe, pulled over on I-70 to help him.
Both men were outside the car when a black Ford F-150 drove into the shoulder and struck the car. Jackson and Monroe were pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspected driver of the F-150, Manuel Orrego-Savala, 37, first fled the scene on foot but was caught. Police reported they believe he was intoxicated and driving without a license.
On Monday, ISP detectives learned that Orrego-Savala first gave police a false name. Orrego-Savala is a citizen of Guatemala by birth, not Mexico as Marion County Jail records show. Orrego-Savala is in the United States illegally, and has been previously deported in 2007 and 2009, police say.
Federal immigration officials have placed a hold on him.
Jackson played in the Cardinals' preseason games in 2015. He was later claimed by the Indianapolis Colts, where he played from 2015-17. He was 26 years old.
