INDIANAPOLIS -- President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday morning about the death of Indianapolis Colts player Edwin Jackson.
Jackson was killed early Sunday morning when he and his Uber driver, 54-year-old Jeffrey Monroe, were pulled over on I-70 near Holt Road. They were outside the vehicle when a Ford F-150 crashed into them, killing both men.
Prosecutors say the suspected driver, Manuel Orrego-Zavala, 37, was intoxicated at the time of the crash. His BAC measured at 0.239 percent -- three times the legal limit.
Orrego-Zavala, a citizen of Guatemala by birth, is in the United States illegally, according to Indiana State Police. He had been previously deported in 2007 and 2009.
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Trump's tweet focused on Orrego-Zavala's immigration status, calling it "disgraceful."
So disgraceful that a person illegally in our country killed @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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 6, 2018
He also called him a "wonderful young man."
My prayers and best wishes are with the family of Edwin Jackson, a wonderful young man whose life was so senselessly taken. @Colts
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 6, 2018
Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said the crime will be prosecuted "like any comparable crime," criticizing the President's tweets. His full statement:
“We will vigorously prosecute this matter, just like any comparable crime, not because of the immigration status of an accused, but because two innocent men lost their lives in this horrible incident. We are disheartened that ghoulish and inappropriate public commentary has politicized this tragedy. Much of such commentary, including tweets by the President, fails to acknowledge that both Edwin Jackson and Jeffrey Monroe lost their lives on Sunday. We will simply seek justice on behalf of the families of those two victims.”
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