The brother of a Galveston priest was killed Sunday morning and another person was injured when a pickup truck plunged over the seawall near a popular tourist shop.
Family members had flown in from around the country to celebrate Rev. John Paul Flajole's 50th anniversary as a priest Saturday. A group that included Fajole's brother from Lake Orion, Michigan, Raphael Flajole, 62, was taking photos near the stairway of Murdoch's Souvenirs around 7 a.m. when a red Ford pickup truck turning onto Seawall Boulevard cut across all lanes of traffic and hit them on the sidewalk.
The truck then barrelled onto the beach, where it finally stopped.
The driver, Kevin Wade Wilson, 49, is facing charges of manslaughter with a $500,000 bond and aggravated assault with a $250,000 bond, according to the Galveston Police Department.
Wilson was already on probation for a previous narcotics conviction, but police said they are still investigating whether Wilson was intoxicated at the time of the crash.
Flajole's brother died at the scene and Shane Sabala, 48, was transported to the John Sealy Emergency Room for treatment. Police said they believe Flajole and Sabala did not know each other.
Wilson was also treated at John Sealy for minor injuries.
Sabala is stable, but in a serious condition, according to police.
The reverend was ordained in 1964, according to the Holy Family Parish of Galveston and Bolivar website.
Since 2011, at least two people have been killed and 10 injured when vehicles went over the Seawall or collided with pedestrians along it, according to news reports.
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