CANADIAN COUNTY, Okla. (KOKH) — Officials are releasing additional information following a deadly crash that claimed the lives of four young people last week.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said Kiercy Hickson, Brad Palmer, Haleigh Salazar and Quincy Jones were driving eastbound on I-40 early Friday morning when a wrong-way driver hit them head-on.
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All four were pronounced dead at the scene.
OHP identified the driver who hit the four as 26-year-old Michael Rosario-Cruz.
Authorities say they believe Rosario-Cruz got on I-40 at Meridian Ave. but was driving westbound in the eastbound lanes.
Commissioner of Public Safety Tim Tipton says they began receiving calls about a wrong-way driver in the area of I-40 and MacArthur Blvd.
“Troopers immediately responded and were just seconds behind him whenever the collision happened. We had almost caught up to him, but the collision had already taken place by the time we got there,” Tipton said.
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Rosario-Cruz was arrested on four complaints of second-degree murder, two counts of DUI causing great bodily injury, transporting an open container, possessing a firearm with an altered ID during the commission of a felony, carrying firearms while under the influence, and wrong way on a one-way road.
On Wednesday, officials confirmed that Rosario-Cruz was likely impaired at the time of the crash.
“This isn’t an accident. This is the murder of four young kids, three of them that just graduated the week before from high school. This is an intentional act. This defendant in this case made the decision, intentional decision to go and drink at a local bar, restaurant, then get on the interstate, still impaired and getting on the wrong direction in a large vehicle, a truck. I consider this an intentional act. It’s the reason why we presented a probable cause affidavit to the district attorney in Canadian County for four counts of second-degree murder. This was a murder. This was an intentional act,” said Commissioner of Public Safety Tim Tipton.
Tipton said that Rosario-Cruz is not a legal citizen of the United States and was given DACA status in 2015.
In fact, he says that Rosario-Cruz is a resident of Memphis and was in Oklahoma for work.
Once officials learned about his immigration status, Tipton says they contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to put a detainer on him.
As a result, ICE issued a warrant for his arrest and put a detainer on Rosario-Cruz.
