Two brothers have been tragically killed after being hit by a light-rail train while holding a memorial for another sibling who died in the same spot a week earlier.
Per the Associated Press, early on Tuesday, August 3, police officers in Charlotte, North Carolina, responded to a call about two males who had been hit by the LYNX Blue Line train near South Boulevard and Hebron Street.
When the officers arrived, Pablo Tiquiram Us, 29, and Jose Chilambalam Tiquiram Us, 20, were found unresponsive near the tracks. Both brothers were pronounced dead at the scene.
Per People, in a press briefing conducted a day after the tragedy, Sgt. Adam Jones of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department explained that Pablo and Jose were "mourning the loss" of their brother, 27-year-old Baltazar Tiquiram Us.
Learn more about the tragic story below:Baltazar died after he was hit by a light-rail train on July 26.
"They had been memorializing their brother on the one-week anniversary of his death and they were conducting a memorial out by the site where he was killed," Jones said, per the outlet.
Jones went on to explain that the "tragic accident" occurred while the brothers stood on the track and lit candles as the train approached the intersection.
"Unfortunately, the two brothers were also struck by a train while they were on foot and they both succumbed to their injuries pretty quickly," Jones said. "I cannot imagine losing three of your children — three of your siblings — within a week to such tragic circumstances."
The team investigating the case believes the track's safety mechanisms, including the crossing arms and flashing lights which warn of a train approaching, were working fine.
Baltazar was hit by a light-rail train while driving his vehicle around the track's crossing arm.
The 27-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene and an unnamed passenger was rushed to a local hospital with substantial injuries.
Police believe "impairment was involved" in both fatal incidents.
"I'd like to stress to our citizens: Please, if you have been drinking, use a ride-share, have a designated driver, or stay where you are," Jones warned during the press briefing. "If you have been drinking, please do not drive."
