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An SUV strikes 6 migrant workers in Walmart parking lot in North Carolina

In this image taken from video, shoppers load purchased items into their vehicle Monday, July 31, 2023, at a Walmart in Lincolnton, N.C., where police say migrant workers were intentionally hit by an SUV in the parking lot of the store a day earlier.
Erik Verduzco
/
AP
In this image taken from video, shoppers load purchased items into their vehicle Monday, July 31, 2023, at a Walmart in Lincolnton, N.C., where police say migrant workers were intentionally hit by an SUV in the parking lot of the store a day earlier.

Six migrant workers were struck Sunday afternoon by an SUV in a Walmart parking lot in North Carolina from what police are calling "an intentional assault with a vehicle."

"All six were transported to Atrium Health – Lincoln with various injuries. None of the injuries appear to be life threatening," the Lincolnton Police Department said in a Facebook post.

Police say they're still looking for the vehicle and driver involved in the incident, which they said took place at 1:17 pm ET. In the Facebook post, they describe the vehicle as an older model SUV with a luggage rack, and the driver as an older white male.

The motive for the attack is also still under investigation. Police told NPR via telephone late Sunday there is no further information.

Lincolnton is a small city of some 11,800 people located about an hour outside of Charlotte.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Ashley Westerman is a producer who occasionally directs the show. Since joining the staff in June 2015, she has produced a variety of stories including a coal mine closing near her hometown, the 2016 Republican National Convention, and the Rohingya refugee crisis in southern Bangladesh. She is also an occasional reporter for Morning Edition, and NPR.org, where she has contributed reports on both domestic and international news.