Thread: TX. Farmer shoots 2 trespassers, drops them at fire station

West Texas farmer reportedly shoots 2 men, drops them off at fire station

Times staff report
Posted: 05/11/2011 03:43:08 PM MDT

Two men reportedly shot by a Hudspeth farmer were dropped off at a Fabens fire station by the farmer earlier today, El Paso County Sheriff Office official's said.

The farmer, who's identity has not been revealed, alleges that the two men were trespassing on his land, when he shot them. The man's farm is about 20 miles southeast of Fabens in Hudspeth County and close to the Rio Grande.

After wounding the men, the farmer reportedly loaded them into his truck and dropped them off in Fabens. El Paso and Hudspeth sheriffs are still investigating.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_18040844

Rancher Shoots 2 Alleged Trespassers In West Texas

Posted: 1:17 pm MDT May 11, 2011
Updated: 5:14 pm MDT May 11, 2011

HUDSPETH COUNTY, Texas -- A Hudspeth County rancher was arrested after sheriff deputies investigated a shooting that injured two alleged trespassers Wednesday afternoon.

Around 12:20 p.m. El Paso County sheriff deputies received reports of two people, who were shot, dropped off at the Volunteer Fire Department in Fabens.

KFOX14 learned at the scene that the rancher told deputies he shot both people for trespassing on his property near the 200 block of W. Main Street.
He then told deputies he felt bad about shooting them so he loaded them into his van and drove them to a nearby volunteer Fire Department.
El Paso and Hudspeth County sheriffs were at the fire station when a KFOX14 crew arrived.

Both people were taken to a hospital. El Paso County sheriff deputies said one is in critical condition and the other is in stable condition.

http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/27857125/detail.html

I cant really say how i feel on this because i know it would be mod edit but lets just say more farmers carry guns than before.I know i do.

I'm sure the OBL's will be all over this in a week or two

A man should---be able to protect what is his.Two trespassers versus one farmer indicates that some form of equalizer is needed.

I simply say, I am happy the farmer or his family were not injured. I hope the laws of the United States are followed and the farmer goes home to continue to protect home and family.

I am guessing the 2 trespassers will end up owning the farm after the ACLU sues in court.

West Texas rancher shoots 2 men he alleges were trespassing, transports them to fire station

By Daniel Borunda \ El Paso Times
Posted: 05/12/2011 07:46:03 AM MDT

Two men reportedly shot by a Hudspeth farmer while trespassing were dropped off at a Fabens fire station at the 200 block of West Main on Wednesday. (Vanessa Monsisvais / El Paso Times)The Texas Rangers have taken over the investigation into a shooting Wednesday in which a Hudspeth County rancher wounded two alleged trespassers and then drove them to get help at a Fabens fire station.

The shooting occurred in Hudspeth County, where Sheriff Arvin West last year advised farmers to "arm yourselves" because of fear of violence spilling across the border.

El Paso County sheriff's officials said the rancher, whose identity has not been released, alleged the two men were trespassing on his land when he shot them.

After wounding the men, the rancher reportedly loaded them into a minivan and drove them about 20 miles to a fire station in Fabens, El Paso County sheriff's officials said. The men were then taken to a hospital.

One of the men was in critical condition, and the other was stable. Their identities have not been released.

Fabens is in east El Paso County, but the shooting occurred in the desolate Sunset Ranches area in neighboring Hudspeth County, said Lt. Robert Wilson of the Hudspeth County Sheriff's Office.

Wilson declined to release details of the case because the investigation was turned over to the Texas Rangers.

The Texas Rangers could not be reached for comment.

Responding to calls of a double shooting, El Paso County sheriff's deputies went to the fire station in Fabens where the wounded men were located.

The rancher's minivan was parked outside the small fire station as deputies sealed the scene.

Border Patrol agents were also at the fire station, but an agency spokesman said the agents were there in a show of support and the Border Patrol was not involved in the case.
It is not uncommon for Border Patrol agents to show up to assist local law enforcement, if needed, in small towns outside El Paso.

The ranch where the shooting took place is reportedly not far from the Texas-Mexico border, but the nationality of the wounded men had not been revealed.

Channel 9-KTSM reported that it interviewed one of the men who was shot.

It reported that Norangel Velez and his father were going to look at land to buy when the rancher drove up and fired at them.

"'Get down, get down, I'm going to kill you, I'm going to kill you.' That's all he ever said; he never said anything else but that," Velez told the television station.

"He never said freeze, he never gave us a warning, he never came out in front of us and say what we're doing here, just boom, boom boom."

Velez told KTSM he was shot once and his father was shot three times after his father jumped on top of him and saved his life.

"What (the rancher) did was wrong, and the only reason he shot was because we were Hispanic," Velez told a reporter. "It's the only reason he shot. He thought we were immigrants. I've lived here all my life."

A spokesman for the Mexican Consulate in El Paso said the consulate had no information about the incident as of Wednesday afternoon.

Residents of the farming towns and desert communities east of El Paso have expressed fears about bloodshed across the Rio Grande in the Valley of Juárez.

The Valley of Juárez is a traditional smuggling hot spot that is disputed territory in a war between the Sinaloa and Juárez drug cartels.

The torching of homes, decapitations (two severed heads were left atop a wall on Tuesday in the village of Guadalupe) and disappearances are common in the valley of farming villages and towns east of Juárez.

During a town-hall meeting a year ago, Hudspeth County Sheriff West advised farmers in his county to "arm yourselves" for protection because of the danger across the border.

The violence has not always been contained to Mexico.

In January, rifle shots were apparently fired from Mexico across the border at four U.S. road workers in the ghost town of Fort Quitman. No one was injured.

The Valley of Juárez includes the town of Praxedis G. Guerrero, whose 21-year-old police chief, Marisol Valles Garcia, was hailed for her bravery in October when she took a job that nobody else wanted.

Valles had no law enforcement experience, didn't carry a gun and planned on tackling minor crimes and leaving the fight against narco-traffickers to state and federal authorities.

In March, Valles with her infant son, her husband and parents fled to seek political asylum in the United States after receiving death threats.

Valles resurfaced Tuesday with an interview on ABC News.

"They threatened to kill me, my family, my baby boy," Valles told ABC News.

"I was always scared. I couldn't even sleep, always wondering when are they coming to get me."

Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com; 546-6102.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_18040844

I'd expect to see more incidents like this happening in the very near future.

Curious for more details to come out about this case... I wonder if the rancher's property was fenced off. Were there No Tresspassing signs up? Is there really a neighboring property for sale that these two were looking at (or looking for?)

This situation with ranchers is really turning into a huge debacle. I really feel for them. If it was me, I'd be out of there, however since I cant even get out of my 1/4 acre lot in CA, I can attest that it's easier said than done.

"What (the rancher) did was wrong, and the only reason he shot was because we were Hispanic," Velez told a reporter. "It's the only reason he shot. He thought we were immigrants. I've lived here all my life."

A spokesman for the Mexican Consulate in El Paso said the consulate had no information about the incident as of Wednesday afternoon.

Why was the mexican consulate asked for information if in fact Velez has "lived here all his life," which I presume mean he's an American citizen?

Originally Posted by NoBueno

Why was the mexican consulate asked for information if in fact Velez has "lived here all his life," which I presume mean he's an American citizen?

Sounds like daddy is a Mexican, maybe illegal alien, and son is an anchor baby.