Man Faces Federal Human Smuggling Charges in 2023 Ozona Crash That Killed 4

OZONA, TX — A federal grand jury has indicted a Bossier City, Louisiana, man on 13 counts related to human smuggling in connection with a March 2023 crash in Crockett County that killed a 7-year-old girl, her 71-year-old grandmother, and two others. 

Rassian Nateray Comer, 25, is accused of transporting 11 people who had illegally entered the United States from Mexico. The indictment, unsealed Wednesday, includes one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death, 11 counts of transportation of an illegal alien resulting in death, and one count of possession of a stolen firearm. He faces up to life in prison if convicted. 

The crash occurred on March 13, 2023, when a 2021 Ram 1500 pickup driven by Comer ran a red light at high speed on 15th Street and Avenue E in Ozona and struck a pickup driven by Maria Socorro Tambunga, 71. Tambunga and her 7-year-old granddaughter, Emilia Tambunga, died at the scene. 

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Two of the 11 people Comer was allegedly transporting also died in the bed of the truck from crash injuries; their names have not been released. The other nine suffered serious injuries. 

According to the indictment and court documents, a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper attempted to stop Comer for speeding on State Highway 349 in Terrell County. Comer fled, reaching speeds over 100 mph before entering Ozona, where he ran the red light at approximately 84 mph. 

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Investigators later found a loaded stolen handgun under the brake pedal of the Ram and determined Comer had picked up the group near Sheffield, west of Ozona, as part of an alleged alien smuggling operation. He was heading toward San Antonio. 

Comer was previously indicted in 2023 on state capital murder charges for the deaths of Emilia and Maria Tambunga.

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In a statement released Wednesday, the Tambunga-Jespersen family called the federal indictment “the first step in securing justice for their needless deaths and to prevent other families from experiencing the tremendous pain, loss, and suffering we have endured for nearly three years.” 

The family thanked the Trump administration, U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould, and Crockett County District Attorney Stephen Dodd for pursuing federal charges.“No family should ever have to experience the pain and loss we have endured,” the statement read.

A GoFundMe to support the family can be found by clicking HERE.