Trump: Crash that killed NFL player is ‘disgraceful’

President Donald Trump says it was "disgraceful" that an Indianapolis Colts linebacker was killed in a suspected drunken-driving crash by a person who is in the U.S. illegally. The president also prodded Democrats to work with him on illegal immigration and border security. The crash killed linebacker Edwin Jackson and his Uber driver on Sunday. Authorities say the man suspected of causing the crash has twice been deported from the U.S.

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — President Donald Trump said it was "disgraceful" that an Indianapolis Colts linebacker was killed in a suspected drunken-driving crash by a person who is in the U.S. illegally.

The president also prodded Democrats to work with him on illegal immigration and border security.

Trump tweeted Tuesday: "So disgraceful that a person illegally in our country killed (at)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!"

In a second tweet, he added, "My prayers and best wishes are with the family of Edwin Jackson, a wonderful young man whose life was so senselessly taken. (at)Colts."

The crash also killed Jackson's Uber driver, who was not mentioned by Trump.

The man suspected of causing the collision Sunday has twice been deported from the U.S., authorities said.

Manuel Orrego-Savala, 37, remained jailed Monday but had not been charged in the crash along Interstate 70 in Indianapolis. Prosecutors said they were working with police on the investigation.

The Guatemala citizen, who gave officers a fake name when he was arrested, was deported in 2007 and 2009, and was again living illegally in the U.S., police said.

Jackson, 26, and driver Jeffrey Monroe, 54, were standing outside Monroe's car along I-70 after Jackson became ill while Monroe was transporting him for the ride-hailing company, police said.

Both men were struck and killed by a pickup truck driven by Orrego-Savala, police said. Investigators said they believe Orrego-Savala, who lives in Indianapolis, was intoxicated and driving without a license.

A breath test administered at the crash scene found that Orrego-Savala's blood-alcohol content was almost 0.24 percent, or nearly three times Indiana's legal limit of 0.08 percent, according to an affidavit.

That affidavit said Orrego-Savala has had prior run-ins with law enforcement for driving without a valid license and that he was walking away from the crash scene when an Indiana state trooper detained him.

Republican Indiana Rep. Todd Rokita said that "the loss of life at the hands of illegal immigrant criminals should make all Hoosiers sad and ultimately angry."

The crash highlights the need for building a U.S.-Mexico border wall, "ending sanctuary cities and stopping illegal immigration once and for all," he said in a statement.

The fatalities come about two months after a California jury acquitted a Mexican man in the fatal July 2015 shooting of a woman on a San Francisco pier — a death that touched off a fierce national immigration debate.

Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, who was found not guilty of murder on Nov. 30 in Kate Steinle's death, had been deported five times and was wanted for a sixth deportation when she was fatally shot. Garcia Zarate said the shooting was accidental and occurred when picked up a gun wrapped in a T-shirt under a seat on the pier.

During the presidential campaign, then-candidate Trump pointed to Steinle's death as a reason to build a wall along the Mexican border and tighten immigration policies. As president, he has threatened to withhold federal funding to cities with sanctuary city policies.

Jackson, who grew up in Atlanta, started eight games for the Colts during the 2016 season, finishing third on the team with 61 tackles. He was considered a possible starter at inside linebacker for the 2017 but missed the season after suffering an injury during training camp.

The 6-foot, 234-pound athlete previously played for the Arizona Cardinals.