Two people in the camp died at the scene and two others died at the hospital, according to a Salem police department statement. Two other people from the camp were treated for life-threatening injuries, police said. The driver was also hospitalized, according to police. What caused the crash, which occurred around 2 a.m. local time, was not immediately known. Police did not release further details, including the names of the victims and the driver or the driver’s condition. Josh Lehre, chief executive of Be Bold Street Ministries, a nonprofit organization in Salem that helps the homeless, said Sunday he knew the victims but did not want to divulge details. “It is a tragedy what happened,” he said. He added: “This city, everyone will be affected by it. “It’s a horrible fact.” City Mayor Chuck Bennett said in a statement that the camp was owned by the Department of Transportation and that “it was scheduled to be cleaned up next Wednesday.” The camp, located on Front and Division Streets Northeast, was “right next to a major boulevard,” said Bennett, and was set up about two weeks ago. “There were scene openings almost on the state highway,” he said, adding, “This was a sad event with a tragic end.”
