An illegal immigrant who was allegedly drunk driving when he got into an accident that killed Indianapolis Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson and an Uber driver, denied he was responsible.
Prosecutors filed charges Wednesday against Manuel Orrego-Savala, who is from Guatemala and has twice been deported from the US.
The 37-year-old said little during his initial court hearing, though told the judge through an interpreter: ‘I wasn’t driving the car. I don’t know why I am here.’
He is charged with causing death while driving intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident.
Manuel Orrego-Savala, charged with two counts of failure to remain at the scene of an accident, a Level 3 felony, and two counts tied to drunken driving death, a Level 4 felony, walks out of the courtroom at the City-County Building on Wednesday
Jackson had an inauspicious start, first walking on at at Georgia Southern, where he ultimately led the team in tackles by his senior season. He was also part of GSU’s upset of Florida in 2013
Manuel Orrego-Savala (pictured left) told police his name was Alex Cabrera Gonsales when he was arrested Sunday morning after allegedly ramming a black Ford F-150 pickup truck onto the emergency shoulder of an Indianapolis highway, killing Jackson and Jeffrey Monroe, a 54-year-old from Avon
Jeffrey Monroe (pictured above) was identified as the second man who was killed in the suspected drunken driving crash
‘He’s very distraught to say the least,’ said his lawyer, Jorge Torres. ‘He’s very confused.’
Investigators said Orrego-Savala was driving the pickup truck that hit Jackson and his Uber driver, 54-year-old Jeffrey Monroe, while the men were standing outside Monroe’s car early Sunday along Interstate 70.
Court documents allege a blood test conducted at a hospital determined Savala had a blood-alcohol level of 0.19 percent, more than double Indiana’s legal limit for driving.
The two most serious charges each carry maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
On Tuesday Trump tweeted about the accident, calling Jackson’s death ‘disgraceful’ and a ‘preventable tragedy.’
Trump brought up the issue Tuesday morning on Twitter, immediately tying the tragedy to his push for a crackdown on illegal immigration and taking a slap at Democrats.
‘So disgraceful that a person illegally in our country killed @Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson,’ Trump wrote.
‘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!’ Trump wrote.
Four minutes after Trump’s initial tweet, the president also weighed in with prayers. ‘My prayers and best wishes are with the family of Edwin Jackson, a wonderful young man whose life was so senselessly taken. @Colts,’ Trump wrote.
Trump also blasted Democrats on immigration Monday, saying in Ohio they ‘don’t care’ about the nation’s security
President Trump called it ‘disgraceful that a person illegally in our country’ killed Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson in a drunk driving-related accident
Trump called the death of Jackson ‘disgraceful’ and called for Democrats to ‘get tough’ on immigration
Later, the president offered ‘prayers and best wishes’ to the members of Jackson’s family
Orrego-Savala was in the country illegally and using an alias, according to police.
He originally told police his name was Alex Cabrera Gonsales when he was arrested Sunday morning after allegedly ramming a black Ford F-150 pickup truck onto the emergency shoulder of an Indianapolis highway, killing Jackson and Monroe.
The 37-year-old, who was born in Guatemala, was driving without a driver’s license and attempted to flee the scene of the accident on foot, according to Marion County Police.
Federal Immigration officials have placed a hold on him, and he is currently being held in the Marion County Jail. When he was arrested he told police he was a Mexican immigrant.
State police identified the victims as Jackson, who grew up in Atlanta, and 54-year-old Jeffrey Monroe, of Avon, Indiana. Police say they were killed when a suspected drunken driver struck them as they stood outside their car along Interstate 70 on Indianapolis’ west side
Authorities say the driver – identified as 37-year-old Alex Cabrera Gonsales of Indianapolis – struck them before dawn on Sunday and tried to flee on foot but was quickly captured. Toxicology results are pending
Indiana State representative Todd Rokita tweeted about the incident Monday, saying it should ‘make all Americans angry.’
‘A twice-deported illegal immigrant is suspected of killing 2 Hoosiers, including Colts LB Edwin Jackson,’ he wrote.
‘We must do more to get these dangerous illegal immigrant criminals off our streets, build a wall & put an end to illegal immigration.’
‘It is believed Gonsales was intoxicated and was driving without a license,’ Indiana State Police Sargent John Perrine said in a statement Sunday. The statement was released before police knew his real name.
Sunday morning’s accident happened around 4am on Interstate 70, as Jackson and Monroe were standing outside a ride-share car. It is believed that Monroe was a ride-share driver who was assisting Jackson, who had become ill, investigators told the Indy Star.
The Colts said in a statement Sunday that the team is ‘heartbroken’ by Jackson’s death. The statement says the 26-year-old ‘was loved by all in the Colts organization.’
‘One of the people struck was thrown into the center lane of I-70,’ Perrine said in the statement.
‘Shortly after the crash, and before any 911 calls were received, Trooper Ty Mays was driving through the area and noticed a vehicle in front of him make an evasive maneuver to the left.’
Mays spotted the crash on the right side of the road before activating his emergency lights, Perrine said.
‘As he slowed to stop for the crash he struck the body of the victim in the center lane,’ Perrine said in a statement. It is not known which victim was struck by Mays.
Indiana State representative Todd Rokita tweeted about the incident Monday, saying it should ‘make all Americans angry’
The Colts Twitter account posted a picture of smiling Jackson. He was 26-years old
Colts owner Jim Irsay responded to the news on Twitter.
‘Our hearts and prayers are with Edwin Jackson’s family,’ he wrote. ‘Terrific young man, respected and liked by all. Rest In Peace, Edwin.’
The team’s Twitter account also posted a smiling picture of Jackson.
‘It is with a heavy heart that we share the loss of one of our own,’ read the Colts Twitter account post. ‘Edwin Jackson always brought a smile to our locker room and the community. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time. We will miss him greatly.’
An inside linebacker, Jackson signed with the Colts in 2015, but didn’t dress for a game until the following season, when he appeared in all 16 games, half of which he started.
That season Jackson was the team’s third-leading tackler, but he suffered a season-ending injury during the 2017 preseason so he spent the year rehabilitating.
Jackson had an inauspicious start, first walking on at at Georgia Southern, where he ultimately led the team in tackles by his senior season. He was also part of Georgia Southern’s infamous upset of Florida in 2013.
Jackson was also a state-championship-finalist wrestler from Atlanta when he was in high school.