Border Patrol: Agent fires shots after rock attack

Border Patrol: Agent fires shots after rock attack

The Associated Press

Published: Saturday, Jul. 7, 2012 - 11:04 am
Last Modified: Saturday, Jul. 7, 2012 - 12:27 pm

BROWNSVILLE, Texas -- The U.S. Border Patrol says an agent fired shots after being pelted by rocks thrown along the Rio Grande.

Border Patrol spokesman Henry Mendiola said Saturday he did not know if anyone was struck by the gunfire. He said the shooting about 9 a.m. in Brownsville happened when an agent "feared for his life" and fired his weapon.

Mendiola says the investigation is still very preliminary and he could not release any more details.

In 2010, a Border Patrol agent in El Paso shot and killed a 15-year-old Mexican boy across the Rio Grande. Investigators say the agent fired after being attacked by people throwing rocks.

Border Patrol: Agent fires shots after rock attack - Wire National News - The Sacramento Bee

Two agents report discharging weapons; Mexico says body found

July 07, 2012 10:09 PM
By TRAVIS WHITEHEAD/The Brownsville Herald

Officials in Mexico confirmed that a body was found Saturday morning on the edge of the Rio Grande across from the Brownsville area, and — separately — the U.S. Border Patrol reported that two agents, also in the Browns-ville area, had fired their weapons.

There was no information connecting the two reports.

A Tamaulipas law enforcement official confirmed that a body was found and said there was a wound consistent with a gunshot but declined to give more details.

Rodolfo Quilatan Arenas, the Mexican consul in Brownsville, said his country’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the death of an underage male and called for an investigation.

A spokesman for the U.S. Border Patrol, Enrique Mendiola Jr., said an agent fired his gun in self-defense Saturday morning after someone began throwing rocks at him along the river.

At about the same time, another Border Patrol agent in the same area fired his gun when he saw someone aim-ing a weapon at him, Mendiola said.

He said he had no information that anyone was struck by the gunfire, which occurred about 9 a.m.

In one incident, someone on the U.S. side of the border began throwing rocks at an agent, said Mendiola, who is assistant chief patrol agent.

The agent was unable to take cover and fired his weapon in self-defense, he said in a written statement.

“At approximately the same time, another nearby agent observed a person aiming a weapon at him and fired his service weapon in defense,” the release said.

He said the person who aimed the weapon at the agent was on the Mexican side of the river.

The release from the Border Patrol described the incidents as “two dangerous encounters.”

Asked about reports that a teenager was found dead at the edge of the river, Mendiola said he had no informa-tion about that.

“We don’t have any confirmation on any deaths,” he said. “We have no confirmation on any injuries.”

Mendiola said “several” subjects were in the custody of the Border Patrol Saturday evening but that he didn’t know their nationalities.

The FBI is investigating, he said.

The Mexican government was notified of both incidents and “is responding to the area,” Mendiola said in the statement late Saturday.

Two agents report discharging weapons; Mexico says body found | body, mexico, agents - Brownsville Herald

And how long does anyone think it will be before Obama and Napolitano rush in on the side of Mexico in this dispute?

W

Border Patrol defends actions of agents in shooting

July 09, 2012 10:00 PM
By LAURA B.MARTINEZ and ILDEFONSO ORTIZ AIM Texas Newspapers

Mexican officials have condemned Saturday’s shooting of a Mexican citizen by a U.S. Border Patrol agent near Veterans International Bridge in Brownsville.

The Mexican Foreign Relations Ministry has questioned the way the U.S. government handles security along the Southwest border.

“The Mexican government has said once again that the disproportionate use of force for purposes of immigration enforcement is unacceptable under any circumstances,” the Foreign Ministry said.

Juan Pablo Perez Santillán, 30, died Saturday morning on the banks of the Rio Grande, reportedly from a bullet fired by a U.S. Border Patrol agent on the Brownsville side of the river.

Border Patrol said its agents opened fire in separate incidents that occurred about the same time Saturday near the Veterans International Bridge: once at rock throwers who were pelting border enforcers attempting to arrest illegal crossers; once at a man who aimed a gun at an agent from across the river.

Border Patrol spokesman Enrique Mendiola said at a press conference Monday that a rock attack is considered deadly force.

“We had an agent that spent almost a year (recovering) and had to have reconstructive surgery after being attacked with rocks,” Mendiola said about another agent injured while responding to a drug smuggling attempt at the Hidalgo-Reynosa border in April 2010.

Rock attacks targeting Border Patrol agents are common, with about 500 of them reported along the Southwest border in the last calendar year, Mendiola said, adding that if necessary, border agents won’t shy away from violence.

They “are well-trained and -equipped and will respond with necessary force to any aggression,” Mendiola said.

INVESTIGATION

The shooting occurred just south of Veterans Bridge when Border Patrol agents responded to reports of undocumented immigrants attempting to cross, Mendiola said. When the agents detained a group of people, they were pelted by rocks and one agent fired his weapon in self defense but didn’t hit anyone. About the same time, just south of that location, an agent saw a man pointing a weapon at him and fired.

The Mexican consul in Brownsville, Rodolfo Quilatán Arenas, said the man that Border Patrol claimed was holding a weapon was Perez, and they are trying to confirm whether he was armed.

“The Mexican government is confirming the death of an individual,” Mendiola said. “We are not confirming that information. We are confirming that our agents fired in self-defense after being placed in danger.”

Quilatán said that his office began working on the case soon after the shooting, and later that day, it sent a statement to Rosendo Hinojosa, chief of the Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley Sector, asking for a full investigation.

During the incident, Quilatán said, the Border Patrol detained three persons.

Quilatán said his office is working with its legal department to investigate not only a violation of national sovereignty but also a possible human rights violation.

FAMILY MOURNS

At a small house along a dirt road a few yards from the Rio Grande, about a dozen friends and family gathered Sunday afternoon, awaiting the body of their beloved Juan Pablo.

“My brother, Juan Pablo Perez Santillán, he’s dead,” Juanita Soto Santillán said through tears as she sat in a lawn chair outside the white-walled Los Pinos neighborhood home. A red wreath and a white-and-blue flower ornament was all the family could afford on short notice for the impromptu wake.

“My son Jorge … I don’t know what happened to him,” Soto said. “I want him here with me.

“I don’t know if he’s missing, if the (Border Patrol) got him, or … .” She trailed off.

Her 14-year-old son, it turned out, had been detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents.

SHOOTINGS

This was at least the second time in recent months when a Border Patrol agent stationed in the Brownsville area fired his weapon while on patrol.

In December, a Border Patrol agent fired his service weapon at several alleged drug smugglers who were throwing rocks at him and another agent also in Brownsville.

This incident happened near the B&M International Bridge.

The agents were on patrol when they encountered several people who appeared to be carrying bundles of marijuana, authorities said.

When the agents confronted the perons, they began throwing rocks at the agents.

A Border Patrol spokeswoman addressing the incident said the agents fired his weapon to defend himself and a fellow agent. The agents were not injured.

The agents recovered more than 13 pounds of marijuana that was left behind.

Border Patrol defends actions of agents in shooting | defends, mexican, actions - Brownsville Herald

Mexico says US agents shot Mexican on border

Jul 10, 2012 7:54 AM CDT


By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN and CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN
Associated Press


MEXICO CITY (AP) -- A Mexican citizen has been fatally shot by U.S. Border Patrol agents on the border with Texas in an incident that the Mexican government is calling a disproportionate use of force.


The Border Patrol said Saturday that agents had opened fire along the Rio Grande on the Texas-Mexico border after being pelted by rocks and having a gunman point a weapon in their direction from the Mexican side of the river. The agency said it did not know if anyone else was hurt, but the FBI was investigating.


The Mexican Foreign Ministry said late Sunday that a citizen had been killed by a gunshot fired by a U.S. agent at the Los Tomates-Veterans international bridge. It did not identify the victim or provide details about the incident. Mexico said its consulate in Brownsville had sent U.S. authorities a message demanding an exhaustive investigation without regard to the consequences.


"The Mexican government has said once again that the disproportionate use of force for purposes of immigration enforcement is unacceptable under any circumstances," the Foreign Ministry said.


Juana Maria Soto of Matamoros said her brother, 30-year-old Juan Pablo Perez Soto, was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent Saturday morning. She said she had received little information, but she believes her brother was on the Mexican river bank cutting firewood and said she understood that the agent crossed to the Mexican side to shoot him.


Border Patrol spokesman Henry Mendiola said Monday that the incident remains under investigation and they have not confirmed that someone was shot, but he disputed any suggestion that agents crossed the border into Mexico.

"Our agents are not going to go into Mexico to neutralize something like this," Mendiola said.

He said Border Patrol agents came upon a group of people on the U.S. side near the Saturday morning. They detained some while others retreated toward the river and began throwing rocks. One agent who was not able to escape the rocks fired toward the group, Mendiola said. At the same time, another agent at the scene saw a person across the river in Mexico point a rifle toward them. That agent fired across the river, Mendiola said.

Soto said her 14-year-old son was one of those detained by Border Patrol. She has not been able to speak with him, but said the Mexican consulate told her he was unharmed.

Mendiola said several people had been taken into custody but that he could not provide details about the suspects or charges they face.

Border Patrol agents seizing 4,000 pounds of marijuana in March got into a shootout with drug smugglers. In that incident, it also was not known whether anyone on the Mexican side was hit.

Last summer, authorities said Border Patrol agents and rangers with the Texas Department of Public Safety exchanged about 300 rounds of gunfire with suspected drug smugglers. Officials said the suspects threw rocks at U.S. lawmen in that incident, too.

In 2010, a Border Patrol agent in El Paso shot and killed a 15-year-old Mexican boy across the Rio Grande. Investigators say the agent fired after being attacked by people throwing rocks.

Mexico says US agents shot Mexican on border - FOX 10 News - Phoenix, AZ | KSAZ-TV

U.S., Mexican Officials Mum on BP Shooting

Posted: Jul 10, 2012 4:53 PM
Updated: Jul 10, 2012 6:17 PM

BROWNSVILLE - U.S. and Mexican officials today refused to comment on a deadly shooting involving a Border Patrol agent, but said they are investigating on both sides of the border.

Officials said tensions between both countries stifled all discussion of the Saturday incident at today's meeting.

Mexican officials claim 30-year-old Juan Pablo Perez Santillan of Matamoros died from gunshot wounds after a Border Patrol agent fired at him Saturday near the Veterans-Los Tomates International Bridge.

Border Patrol administrators said their agents came under attack in two incidents.

The first confrontation happened when agents arresting a group of illegal immigrants were attacked by other immigrants who threw rocks at them before fleeing to Mexico. The second clash happened when an agent spotted a man pointing a firearm at them. Officials said the agents fired their weapons in both incidents because they feared for their lives.

Border Patrol said no one was hit when the agent fired at the rock throwers. They are not sure if anyone was hit in the second incident.

U.S., Mexican Officials Mum on BP Shooting | KRGV.com | CHANNEL 5 NEWS | Breaking News Breaking Stories

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ALIPAC

And how long does anyone think it will be before Obama and Napolitano rush in on the side of Mexico in this dispute?

W

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Not long.

Mexican family sues US over killing


July 30, 2012 10:30 PM


By LAURA B. MARTINEZ/The Brownsville Herald

The family of a Mexican national allegedly shot and killed by an unidentified U.S. Border Patrol agent is suing the federal government.

The family of Juan Pablo Peréz Santillán claims he was standing on the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border when he was shot the morning of July 7, 2012. Peréz Santillán was not armed, his family states in the lawsuit.

The incident happened near the Veterans International Bridge in Brownsville.
The lawsuit is filed by Ernestina Cazares Santillan, the mother of Juan Pablo, and Amada Carolina Martinez Morales, the mother of Juan Pablo’s children.

Named in the lawsuit are the unidentified U.S. Border Patrol agent, the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, The U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Justice. The lawsuit was filed Friday.

The U.S. Border Patrol said a group of undocumented immigrants pelted rocks at the agents and one agent fired his weapon in self defense, but did not hit anyone. About the same time, just south of that location, an agent saw a man pointing a weapon at him and fired.

The Mexican consul in Brownsville said the individual the Border Patrol claimed was holding a weapon was Peréz Santillán, and they were trying to confirm whether he was armed.

In previous interview, Border Patrol spokesman Enrique Mendiola said that a rock attack on agents is considered deadly force.

“We had an agent that spent almost a year (recovering) and had to have reconstructive surgery after being attack with rocks,” Mendiola said, about an agent injured while responding to a drug smuggling attempt in Hidalgo County in April 2010.

Rock attacks on the agents are common, with about 500 of them reported along the Southwest border in the last calendar year. Mendiola added Border Patrol agents will not shy away from violence.

As of Monday afternoon, the government had not filed a response to the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, Peréz Santillán was helping a group of undocumented immigrants cross the Rio Grande in Brownsville on the morning of July 7. Of those crossing was Peréz Santillán’s brother, Damian Peréz Santillán.

Juan Pablo Peréz Santillán reportedly told the group that he would not cross until everyone else had swam across the river, so he could watch for the Border Patrol. He was crossing the people in groups of five.

The first group was able to cross, but when the second group tried to cross, Juan Pablo Peréz Santiallán started to yell to tell them that the Border Patrol had shown up, the lawsuit stated.

“Suddenly, a United States Border Agent or Agents pointed a weapon across the border, and squeezed the trigger at least five times, fatally wounding Juan with at least one gunshot wound to the chest. Juan, who has been standing safely and legally on his native soil of Mexico, unarmed and unthreatening, was fatally wounded,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit goes on to state that Damien Peréz Santillán got to the Mexican side of the border and found his brother lying in a pool of blood. He said he yelled for help while looking at the agents, who were still pointing a gun at him. Damian Peréz Santiallán claims the agents’ response was “que se muera el perro” or “let the dog die.”

Damian Peréz Santillán and a friend carried Juan Pablo Peréz Santillán to a truck, drove him to the hospital where he died.

The lawsuit claims Juan Pablo Peréz Santillán’s constitutional rights were violated by the federal government that allows its agents to use excessive force and engage in a pattern of brutality against citizens from Mexico and Central or South America.

It goes onto state that the federal government fails to monitor and investigate such incidents, creates and environment where agents are encouraged to shield the misconduct of other agents, inadequately trains its agents and supervised officers.

A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Nov. 6.� The family is seeking unspecified damages.

Mexican family sues US over killing | family, mexican, allegedly - Brownsville Herald