Americas

Americas

US border agent kills man near San Diego

19 February 2014 03:49 (UTC +04:00)

The shooting occurred Tuesday along Otay Mountain Truck Train in San Diego, southeast of Otay Reservoir and east of State Route 125 at about 6:40.

The incident happened when two agents were following a group of suspected border-crossers. The two split up and one of them tried to cut off the group.

When the two were out of sight of each other, a man threw a rock at one of the agents which hit him in the face.

The agent shot the man an undisclosed number of times killing him at the scene, Sherrif’s Lt. Glenn Giannantonio said.

However, it is not known whether the man was part of the group being tracked or if he was there on his own, Giannantonio stated.

“The agents are out there every day trying to protect our borders,” said Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Rosario Vasquez. “It’s unfortunate that a situation like this had to happen. It’s the last thing we want to see.”

According to a report by the Department of Homeland Security, US Customs and Border Protection officers have done over 20 fatal acts since 2010, including four in San Diego.

In 2013, a border officer shot dead carjacking suspect Ernesto Gutierrez Cortez who reached the Otay Mesa border after a high-speed pursuit.

In 2012, an undercover border agent shot Valeria “Munique” Tachiquin Alvarado, 32, after they said she struck him with her car. But her family lodged a wrongful-death lawsuit arguing that the shooting was unjustified.