Shelter House: Victims in intentional vehicle v. pedestrian crash were in homeless camp

IOWA CITY -- The victims of an Iowa City man charged with intentionally driving his car into five people after a dispute Friday were staying in a homeless encampment near the Iowa City Shelter House, according to a statement released Monday by the nonprofit.

Roman A. Aguilar Ventura, 29, is charged with third-offense drunken driving, five counts of willful injury resulting in injury, five counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, leaving the scene of an accident with injury, driving while barred and driving while a license was suspended.

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According to police, Aguilar Ventura was driving a vehicle near the intersection of Southgate Avenue and Waterfront Drive at 10:42 p.m. Friday when he intentionally drove into a group of five people after a dispute. He then fled the scene. Police found the car he had been driving a short distance away and found Aguilar Ventura at his residence, where he was taken into custody.

On Monday, Shelter House posted a statement to Facebook explaining that Aguilar Ventura drove into a homeless encampment, and four of the people he hit had to be taken to the hospital.

None of the injuries were critical, and all the victims were released from the hospital by Monday, according to the post.

“The victims' status as individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness amplifies the risk to their safety. But sleeping outside is never truly safe,” the post reads. “You can be certain these folks wouldn't have had their homes or apartment buildings driven into. The fact they are sleeping outdoors makes them more vulnerable in every way: to natural forces like extreme weather, to social stigma, and to human aggression.”

The post pointed to recent federal and state language surrounding homelessness — like President Donald Trump’s executive order signed on July 24 that encourages civil commitment of homeless individuals, and a bill proposed by Iowa lawmakers that would prohibit unauthorized camping on public property — as reasons for “increased hostility nationwide” toward people experiencing homelessness.

“As we watch what unfolds in Washington, D.C. in the wake of calls to ‘clean up the streets’ and institutionalize the people sleeping unsheltered, it is critical that we talk about what is happening right here in our community,” the post states, adding that a lack of mental health resources and a lack of support for Iowa shelters and housing programs has contributed to increased homelessness.

According to the shelter, 55 percent of people staying in emergency shelter self-report having a diagnosed mental illness, and estimates from mental health providers who visit shelters to provide services put that number closer to 70 percent.

The post states that despite being the only general use shelter for people experiencing homelessness in Johnson County, only 35 percent — or 25 of the shelter’s 70 beds — are publicly funded, and the rest are covered through fundraising.

“Twenty-five shelter beds in a community where even households who earn at or above the median income struggle to find housing they can afford,” the post reads. “It is one thing to know something is a problem, and another thing entirely to witness it. But folks, everything is broken. It is time to lean into our collective discomfort and not look away from others’ pain. The people in crisis in our community do not deserve our ire: they need our respect, our support, and our investment.”

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