On March 13th two people were killed and over 20 injured when a car drove into a crowd enjoying the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. 21 year old Rashad Owens has been named as the driver. He has been charged with two counts of murder for the deaths of Steven Craenmehr, 35 from Amsterdam and Jamie Ranae West, 27, from Austin.
Reports are that Owens was under the influence of alcohol when he crashed into the crowd of people and that there was already a warrant out for his arrest, even before the incident. James Moody the owner of Mohawk, where the incident took place , said of the fund: “We have spent today working with SXSW and the City to create a relief fund for the victims. This is our number one priority – their care and support. We are a community here that exists far beyond the 10 days of SXSW. Our intent is to come together to help the families of each and every one of the victims.”
At the time of writing there are still eight people in hospital and many venues have been shut down for the past two days as a remark of respect for the incident.
For more information, and to make donations, visit: SXSWcares.com.
