San Diego, CA: Federal officials stated that a man was shot and killed earlier this month by a border patrol marksman near the California-Mexico border due to the fact that he was threatening migrants with a pistol.
The 32-year-old Mexican national was shot and died near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry border checkpoint on March 3, and additional details on the incident have now been revealed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Public identification of the man has not been made.
Reports of armed robberies and attacks targeting migrants trying to enter into the U.S. prompted the federal agency to establish a border patrol tactical unit that day near a paved road that runs through the Otay Mountains, a few miles east of the Otay Mesa border crossing.
According to the border patrol statement, the agents, who were concealed, witnessed the man brandishing a firearm at a group of migrants. A precision marksman on the border patrol then shot the armed man once, killing him instantly.
There were no more casualties as a result of the incident. Near the deceased man’s body, investigators allegedly found a firearm.
The incident was characterized by a union head for the border patrol as a “gun battle,” but according to federal officials, there was only a single gunshot.
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According to the statement, investigators also spoke with other eyewitnesses, whose recollection of the incident was consistent with that of the border officials. According to eyewitnesses, the armed man and his accomplices had approached the migrants and demanded payment.
Officials reported the man’s death at the scene despite cardiopulmonary resuscitation efforts made by emergency medical personnel who arrived at the scene minutes after the incident. There has been no public publication of autopsy findings by the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Officials have stated that the investigation is ongoing with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, the FBI, and the Office of Professional Responsibility of the Border Patrol.