Investigation into Border Patrol shooting continues
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October 29, 2009 7:48 PM
Ildefonso Ortiz
The Brownsville Herald

BROWNSVILLE — Authorities are investigating a shooting in which a U.S. Border Patrol agent fired his service weapon at an oncoming vehicle, officials said.

On Tuesday afternoon, a Border Patrol agent fired as many as three shots at the driver of an older-model, red-and-gray Dodge Ramcharger who tried to run him over, said Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio. The vehicle, which was turned over to the sheriff’s department, had three bullet holes — one in the front and two on the side.

The confrontation stemmed from a failed drug smuggling attempt and is a clear indicator of the heightened aggressiveness of desperate smugglers, Border Patrol spokesman John Lopez said.

The shooting took place when Border Patrol agents responded to a sighting of a man loading bundles into an SUV along the Rio Grande levee, Lucio said.

“Border Patrol agents patrolling the area between San Benito and Brownsville (along U.S. Highway 281) saw a vehicle coming from the river area at a high rate of speed,â€