Thread: Border Patrol Agent Killing: Friendly Fire?

Oct 4, 2012 10:50pm

Border Patrol Agent Killing: Friendly Fire?



(U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

Authorities are looking closely at the possibility that a friendly fire accidental shooting is at the heart of the incident that killed Border Patrol Agent Nicholas Ivie and wounded a second agent, sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News.

A third agent was unharmed in the incident.

The FBI Phoenix field division would only say in a statement that, “Due to the sensitive and ongoing nature of this investigation, the FBI is unable to provide any further details at this time.”

The scenario that is being examined is whether the fatal shooting happened in the “fog of war” following some type of encounter.

Additional forensics are being done on ballistics and additional interviews are being conducted to determine if the matter can be resolved in the coming days.

Border Patrol Agent Killing: Friendly Fire? - ABC News

Friendly fire killed Border Patrol agent, sources tell NBC News

By Pete Williams, NBC News

Investigators are preparing to announce that the death of Border Patrol Agent Nicholas Ivie in Arizona earlier this week was the result of friendly fire -- accidental gunfire from another agent who responded to the same scene, state and federal officials told NBC News on Friday.

The conclusion is based on an analysis of the ballistics, the lack of evidence of other criminals in the area at the time, and other factors, the sources said.

A formal statement about the findings could come later Friday.

The incident involving Ivie and two other agents occurred Tuesday in a rugged area about five miles north of the US-Mexico border near Bisbee, Ariz. The agents had responded to an alarm from a sensor that tracks illegal movement along the border.

Ivie was killed. A second agent was wounded and was released from the hospital after undergoing surgery. The third agent was unharmed.

State and federal officials said immediately after the incident that the shootings were committed by armed criminals. And since then, Mexican authorities have said they arrested two men in Agua Prieta, northern Sonora state, a few miles from where the shooting occurred.

Friendly fire killed Border Patrol agent, sources tell NBC News - U.S. News

FBI Says Border Agent Likely Killed by Friendly Fire


Arizona Border Patrol Shooting Leaves Agent Dead
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By JACK DATE and PIERRE THOMAS (@PierreTABC)
Oct. 5, 2012

The FBI has determined that the shooting incident that claimed the life of a border patrol agent and wounded a second agent was likely a case of friendly fire.

"There are strong preliminary indications that the death of United States Border Patrol Agent Nicholas J. Ivie and the injury to a second agent was the result of an accidental shooting incident involving only the agents," FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division James Turgal said in a statement.

At about 1 a.m. Tuesday -- the middle of the night in the lonely Arizona desert near the Mexican border -- remote sensors alerted the U.S. Border Patrol that something was moving in the darkness.

According to sources familiar with the investigation, Ivie, a four-year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol came in to take a closer look. Two other agents approached the area from an opposite vantage point to investigate.

What happened next remains unclear, but sources suggest all three agents apparently discharged their handguns, leaving Agent Ivie dead and another agent wounded.

It is not clear who fired first, but Ivie, who was alone, and the two agents he faced appeared to have fired at each other, resulting in a tragic loss of life. Sources indicated that shell casings found at the scene suggested that scenario.

It remained unclear whether Ivie and the other agents encountered someone else in the desert who may have escaped or whether Ivie believed he was returning fire to an unknown source but mistakenly engaged his fellow agents.

Bullets can carry a great distance in the desert, making for an enormous crime scene. Sources described this area as being very rugged and difficult to survey for evidence.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano travelled to Arizona to personally express her condolences to the family of Border Patrol Agent Ivie.

Today, she toured the area where the incident took place and received a briefing on the investigation at the Brian A. Terry Border Patrol Station in Bisbee, Ariz.

That station was recently dedicated to the memory of another slain Border Patrol agent killed in the line of duty by a firearm that was part of the botched "fast and furious" firearms trafficking investigation.

"I am deeply saddened by the death our fallen colleague," Napolitano said. "This tragedy reminds us of the risks our men and women confront, the dangers they willingly undertake while protecting our nation's borders."

The investigation is ongoing, the FBI said, adding that all necessary investigative, forensic and analytical resources will be brought to bear to learn more about what went wrong.

FBI Says Border Agent Likely Killed by Friendly Fire - ABC News