9OYS viewers face off over shooting of unarmed suspect at border

Posted: Apr 01, 2011 4:45 PM CDT
Updated: Apr 01, 2011 10:59 PM CDT

notes by: Forrest Carr, KGUN9 News Director

By a wide margin, the most-commented topic this week on KGUN9.com was the shooting death of Carlos la Madrid. A Border Patrol agent shot the unarmed 19 year old man to death on March 21 in Douglas as la Madrid was fleeing from deputies. The Cochise County Sheriff's Office reported that three bullets struck la Madrid in the back as he was trying to climb a ladder and jump the border fence into Mexico. Someone was throwing rocks at the Border Patrol at the time, but investigators say it wasn't la Madrid. Deputies later found about 40 pounds of pot in la Madrid's truck. Now the FBI is investigating.

Family members who spoke with KGUN9 News said that the shooting was not justified even if someone had been throwing rocks. Many of the KGUN9 viewers who wrote had little to no sympathy for la Madrid. But many others felt that based on what they've heard so far, the use of deadly force against la Madrid, even if he was running from police, was not right.

From "west1890": "Would it be too much just to present the FACTS instead of the whiney opinions of the drug smuggler's family, who would have us believe he should be elevated to sainthood? La Madrid was smuggling drugs. Had he not been smuggling drugs and climbing over the border fence he wouldn't have been in the situation that resulted in his death."

From "douglas ": "Rocks is way different from a gun shot. With a rock you get hurt. And a gun shot you get killed. Besides he wasn't even throwing the rocks."

From Bobby A. Lane: "If I threw a rock at someone and hit them in the head they WOULD die. I throw over 83 mph at age 29. Thank God those agents are OK. Take responsibility, stay in Mexico if you're not supposed to be here, stop assaulting our agents. I'm sorry for your loss, Mrs. la Madrid. Rocks are a serious threat to the safety of our nation's defenders."

From "AYPS123": "I am sorry for the family's loss and will keep them in my prayers to cope with death of their loved one. For whatever reason this young man was running from the law in U.S. and tried to flee into Mexico. He must have done something to take such drastic measures to get away from officers. And as far as the Border Patrol agents, they did their job. And yes throwing rocks at someone can hurt and even kill a person. I have family members and friends in Border Patrol that are constantly risking their lives and having to deal with people throwing rocks at them hitting them with rocks."

From "bwilde": "WHY was Mr. La Madrid running if he never did anything wrong? Sorry for the family's loss but he could have kept the entire incident from happening by simply pulling over long before the BP got involved. Given the carnage going on in Mexico, the BP never knows WHO they are chasing. If it was simply that la Madrid was over the border illegally then he would have been returned to the arms of his wife safe and sound. Instead at the very minimum he ran. Whether he threw the rocks or not, he took his life in his hands when he ran for the border."

From Steve Phillips: "The American people have the Border Patrol's back even if illegal immigrants and the media hate them. Border Patrol are some of the true heroes in America. How can anyone have sympathy for someone who assaults law officers? I'll never understand that mentality."

From "...": "I hope that u never have to suffer what the family must be suffering right now. Because u could tell that he was a really good young man!!"

From "lupiz6": "This is a very unfair case. Who do Border Patrol think they are to take away a life? I could see if they were really threatened then it would make sense. And even if he was an illegal or not which he wasn't they have absolutely no right to shoot and kill him."

From "Tangod": "If my family member was a drug smuggler who was killed, I would be sad and miss them very much but also be very mad at them for doing such stupid stuff that got him killed. He caused these problems to occur."

From Danitza Islava: "I'm all for border safety. But like lupiz6 said he wasn't illegal. Yes, obviously he was doing something wrong, that's why he fled from authorities. I'm from Douglas myself & constantly we hear about some high speed chase heading toward the border. But my question is why hadn't they ever shot another one of those chases? Regardless if he threw the rocks or not, they shouldn't have shot Carlitos. He was climbing the fence with his back toward the agents."

From "Arizona Jim": "The Border Patrol has every right to protect themselves as they see fit. I drive through a Border Patrol checkpoint quite often and I have never been treated with anything but respect. They do a thankless, very hard job and they are always being bad mouthed by the illegals and by the news media. I for one respect them for their loyalty to our country and for the great job that they do.... If we do not let the Border Patrol do their job we will be like Mexico, lawless. We are nearly there now."

From "janeth": "Drug smuggler or not he should have had the right to be convicted by a judge. The Border Patrol took the title of being a judge, jury, and prosecutor and decided to give him the death penalty. He had no right to take away such a young man's life who had a whole life in front of him still."

From "ScottRN:" "LIES, the family lies and KGUN9 seems to be taking the side of the criminal. 40+ pounds of marijuana in his truck. Oh yes he is such a good boy. He is a [deleted] drug runner who ended up a corpse because of his actions. Hey KGUN9 get the facts before you vilify law enforcement. KGUN9 supports Cartel Drug Runners!"

Response for Scott: Right. KGUN9 is on the side of the cartel. That's why we've done more stories than any news organization in the state about the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, trying to get to the bottom of that. Take a breath, Scott. Your invective is over the top in this case, even by your standards. Not everything is a left-wing conspiracy. Sometimes a news story is just a news story. Regarding this one, it sounds like we gave you enough facts to allow you to make up your mind just fine.

Nor are we finished. Our coverage of this issue will continue. We welcome commentary on all sides of this or any issue we cover. Viewers may email feedback to comments@kgun9news.com, post their comments on any relevant story (including this one) on KGUN9.com, or post them on KGUN9's Facebook page.

http://www.kgun9.com/global/story.asp?s=14368295