SALEM, Ore (KTVZ) – Police have arrested a 24-year-old driver who said he fell into a homeless camp in Salem early Sunday morning, killing four people and injuring three others, including the driver, for manslaughter, DUII and other charges. Salem police say 24-year-old Enrique Rodriguez Jr. was arrested and remanded in Marion County Jail on four counts of first-degree murder, second- and third-degree assault, and six counts of reckless endangerment. The jail record on Sunday night showed he was being held without bail on negligent homicide charges and also listed a total of 14 charges, including the DUII misdemeanor. The crash was reported at 2 a.m. in Front Street and Division Street Northeast, not far from the Willamette River, police said. Police said a preliminary investigation by the Salem traffic police team showed that the driver of a two-door sports coupe was traveling north on Front Street, crossing Union Street, when the car veered off the road and crashed into an uncovered camp, trapping two people. under the car. The camp was located at the corner where the Front ST NE intersects with the Front ST business route known as OR99E. Two people died on the spot, according to police. Four others from the camp were taken to Salem Health with life-threatening injuries, two of whom later died at the hospital. Rodriguez, who was alone in the car, was also taken for medical treatment, they said. The exact number of people and tents in the camp is not known, police said. Officers helped several uninjured campers collect some of their belongings and provided assistance to a shelter. Three people were taken to a local motel. “We also contacted the homeless defense partners in the city of Salem in an effort to connect members of the community without protection with the necessary resources as a result of this tragedy,” the statement said. “The Salem Police Traffic Team is actively investigating the circumstances and believes that alcohol may have contributed,” police said. None of those involved were named, pending notification to family members. Police said they have no up-to-date information on the condition of the accident survivors. Salem Police thanked the offices of County Sheriff Marion and Polk and Kaiser Police for assisting in handling emergency calls in Salem so that police could “focus resources on the incident.”
