The US Department of Homeland Security says the driver accused of causing a fatal wrong-way crash in Connecticut had previously been deported from the country twice.
Ryan O’Shea, a 21-year-old student at the University of New Haven and senior captain of its men’s ice hockey club, died when a pickup truck travelling in the wrong direction collided head-on with his car on Interstate 91 in North Haven on October 16.
The driver of the pickup, Guillermo Carmona-Lopez, was taken to hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries.
In a post on X, the Department of Homeland Security identified Carmona-Lopez as a Mexican national who had entered the United States unlawfully and claimed he had been removed from the country twice before the crash.
DHS said he was first arrested by Border Patrol in May 2013 after crossing the border and was subsequently deported. The department said he later re-entered the country, was arrested again and received a final order of removal on May 30 that year.
It said he subsequently returned to the United States at an unknown time and location. The claims have not been tested in court.
Connecticut State Police said O’Shea was driving south on I-91 when the pickup travelled north in the southbound lanes and struck his vehicle. His car was then hit by two further vehicles, according to reports on the police accident summary.
Several other people were hurt in the series of collisions, although their injuries were not life-threatening. The Connecticut State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad is assisting with the investigation.
O’Shea, from New York, was studying criminal justice with a concentration in police science and had hoped to pursue a career in law enforcement. The university said he had also interned with the New York Police Department.
His academic adviser, Lorenzo Boyd, said O’Shea wanted to enter public service “in order to help others” and remembered him as an engaged student who was always ready to talk about sport.
The University of New Haven held a memorial for O’Shea on October 27, while his hockey team later retired his number in his honour. The university has described him as a leader on and off the ice.
