Identity released of man shot by Border Patrol agent during fray

By Debbi Baker
UNION-TRIBUNE BREAKING NEWS TEAM
12:20 p.m. August 13, 2008

SAN YSIDRO – A group suspected of trying to illegally enter the United States threw rocks at Border Patrol agents Tuesday night, who later responded by shooting at the crowd, striking one man in the torso, according to authorities.

Agents were patrolling the area at Virginia Avenue near the U.S.–Mexico border in San Ysidro – just east of a nearby outlet mall – about 10 p.m. when they were attacked by a group throwing large rocks at them from the south side of the fence, said Supervisory Border Patrol agent Daryl Reed.

The agents fired pepper balls and other chemical agents at the group in an attempt to disperse them before the agent fired his gun, Reed said.
The crowd then ran away.

A 23-year-old man was hit in the chest and was treated at a hospital in Tijuana, said San Diego police homicide Lt. Terry McManus said. His condition is not known.

Tijuana authorities identified the man as Edgar Israel Ortega Chávez, who was wounded on the right side of the lower back, just above the waist, by a large-caliber round.

He was admitted into Tijuana's General Hospital and is in stable condition, according to medical reports.

Investigators with the state General Attorney's office said they found two .223 caliber rounds and two tear gas canisters at the site where the victim was shot.

According to Tijuana police, officers received a report that some 10 individuals were attacking Border Patrol agents at approximately 10 p.m. Tuesday night.

When the officers arrived, they found Ortega Chávez lying face down. He had been shot once.

The border fence in that area is located in the United States and does not run directly on top of the border between the two countries, Reed said. Authorities are still trying to determine in which country the man was standing in when he was shot.

McManus said the unidentified agent, who has been with the Border Patrol for ten years, feared for his life and the safety of other agents when he fired his gun. No Border Patrol agents were injured during the incident.

Throwing objects at agents is a common practice, said Reed, who described the projectiles as chunks of jagged concrete about as big as softballs.

“Anyone hit with a rock that size can receive serious bodily injury,â€