EAGLE PASS, Texas — Authorities say a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent shot and killed an apparently unarmed drug suspect after a brief tussle during a Texas traffic stop.
Maverick County Sheriff Tomas S. Herrera said Friday that the agent shot 18-year-old Juan Mendez of Eagle Pass on Tuesday. Authorities have not disclosed the agent's name.
Herrera says witnesses say the agent pulled over a pickup truck Mendez was driving shortly after 9 a.m. They say a 15-year-old passenger fled and that the agent and Mendez struggled briefly as he also tried to flee. They say Mendez broke free and the agent shot him twice. He says Mendez was apparently unarmed.
Mendez died at a hospital.
Herrera says agents found 325 pounds of marijuana in the truck.
We pay the border patrol officers to stop drugs. The agent just did his job.
Their drugs and the money from them kills many in the U.S. and Mexico.
We don't pay anyone to shoot down an unarmed person whose back is turned away, that person's blood is on all our shoulders. And as far as I can tell there is no authority to execute or punish in any way in lieu of a trial and conviction.
You may rightfully argue about the societal cost of drug trafficking but in my opinion you are shooting from the hip and not using your grey matter about all the rest. I suspect you'd feel differently if one of Chattanooga's finest stopped you for running a stop sign and you ended up unarmed but dead as a result; or lost all your guaranteed freedoms to the police for a little security.
The agent already had the shipment stopped! Is shooting un-armed suspect part of the job description?
Another casualty in our "WAR" on drugs. I agree with inquiringmind and acerigger, It will be hard to cover up this trigger-happy agent's actions given there were witnesses. The 15 year old was smart to flee, at least he is still alive.
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