An 8-year-old girl and her 5-year-old brother were killed on Saturday at a birthday party at a boat club in Newport, Michigan when a drunk driver drove through the building, police said.
Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough shared the news during a press conference, noting that a 66-year-old woman, who was intoxicated behind the wheel, was taken into custody.
The incident also resulted in 12 others being injured, nine of whom needed to be hospitalized, six adults and three children. Goodnough said those hospitalized had suffered “serious life-threatening injuries.”
Goodnough shared that the siblings were pronounced dead at the scene during the emotional press conference.
The incident happened at 3 p.m. on Saturday when the driver, who has not been identified publicly, struck the Swan Boat Club in Newport, near Berlin Township, located about 30 miles south of Detroit.
“Preliminary investigation reveals that a vehicle drove through a building where a children’s birthday celebration was taking place, seriously injuring a number of people, both children and adults,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release Saturday.
The driver has been charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing death, and the sheriff said more charges might be likely.
First responders described the scene as “extremely chaotic, with a high level of emotions of those directly involved and those who witnessed this horrific incident,” Goodnough said.
The Swan Boat Club shared in a post on Facebook that it was closing its doors for the time being.
“At this time, the club is closed until further notice,” the statement continued. “Please keep everyone involved in your thoughts and prayers. We thank everyone for their concern and prayers.”