9 people dead in 'human trafficking' case in Texas parking lot

Eight people were found dead in the container of a tractor-trailer parked at a Walmart in San Antonio, Tx. on Sunday, and another died while being treated at the hospital, according to police.

"They discovered an alien smuggling venture gone horribly wrong," U.S. Attorney Richard Durbin said in a statement. "All were victims of ruthless human smugglers indifferent to the well-being of their fragile cargo."

A total of 39 people were inside the tractor-trailer, including two school-age children. 20 people were sent to seven different area hospitals, with 17 in critical condition. Thomas Homan, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told the Associated Press that there could have been over 100 people jammed into the truck at one point.

"We got a call from a Walmart employee about a welfare check in a tractor-trailer that was parked on the lot here," San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said at a press conference. "He was approached by someone from that truck, who was asking for water. Came back with a water, called the police and we arrived on scene and found eight people dead in the back of that trailer."

A hearse pulled into the parking lot later that morning, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

The driver of the truck was identified as James M. Bradley Jr., a 60-year-old man from Florida. Bradley was arrested and is expected to be charged Monday morning, according to the U.S. attorney's office for the Western District of Texas.

"We're looking at human trafficking crime here this evening," McManus said, noting that the Department of Homeland Security is also investigating the incident.