U.S. Border Patrol agents shoot across border and kill a Mexican citizen
The officers shot across Rio Grande into Mexico near the Tomates-Veterans. They claim claimed the act was in self-defense.
Mexican officials condemned a fatal, cross-border shooting of a Mexican citizen by U.S. Border Patrol agents that took place on Saturday, July 7.
At least two U.S. Border Patrol agents fired their weapons in reaction to rock throwing and after observing someone aiming a weapon at them near the Tomates-Veterans international bridge between Matamoros, Mexico and Brownsville, Texas.
“When the agent was unable to take cover, he fired his service weapon in defense,” said Enrique Mendiola, Jr., U.S. Border Patrol spokesperson, in a written statement.
The Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE), Mexico’s foreign affairs authority, called for an exhaustive investigation “that should be taken to its ultimate consequences.”
“[We] reiterate that the disproportionate use of lethal force in immigration control is unacceptable under any circumstances,” an SRE statement said.
The shooting Saturday is the latest in a string of incidents involving U.S. Border Patrol fatal shootings across the U.S. border.
The Foreign Ministry has said that number of Mexicans who are killed or wounded by U.S. border authorities has been on the rise, according to a report from CNN.
“The growing frequency of this type of event reflects a worrisome increment in the use of excessive force on the part of some border authorities,” the Foreign Ministry said.
(Photo: Dan Davis)
