The shooting of an American by border guards near Sasabe in March was ruled a homicide by the Pima County coroner’s office.
Noe Mejia, 38, was shot dead by Border Patrol agents north of Sassabe, Arizona, on March 14. According to Mejia’s autopsy report obtained by the Arizona Republic, the cause of his death was a gunshot wound to his neck.
When an autopsy was performed the day after the shooting, Mejia had defibrillator pads attached to her front torso. Mejia’s time of death was 7:26 p.m.
Mejia is accused of smuggling five illegal immigrants into the country in a BMW before fleeing border patrol.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is conducting an external criminal investigation into the shooting. The agency will advise the Pima County Attorney’s Office on whether criminal charges should be filed.
Tucson District Has the Highest Number of Armed Incidents
The shootings have occurred in the Border Patrol’s Tucson area, which has the highest number of incidents of use of force among border agents, with 142 incidents so far in 2023, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. has been reported.
In 2022, 196 incidents were reported. After the Tucson area, the El Paso area has reported 120 incidents so far this year, according to CBP data.
Body camera footage:CBP Releases Body Camera Footage of Arizona Border Patrol Shooting
CBP released body camera footage on April 14, nearly a month after the shooting occurred. This is the first time CBP has released body camera video of a shooting involving an agent.
Joy Bertrand, one of the lawyers representing Mejia’s immediate family, said the release of body camera footage of the shooting left Mejia’s family “horrified and re-traumatized.” became.”
“They are devastated,” said José Saldívar, a lawyer co-advising Beltran on the case.
At least one of Mejia’s brothers was allowed to review the footage before it was released, Saldívar said. Saldivar said further footage was available that would “picture a better picture” of the delay in relief after Mejia was shot.
Video showing deadly encounter
In the video, Mejia can be seen slouching towards the steering wheel immediately after being shot. Mejia had a black tattoo on his left forearm and wore a San Francisco 49ers winter hat.
Investigators positioned the pickup truck behind the BMW, then got out and smashed the rear and front driver-side windows with batons. Mejia and the agent then began to struggle as the agent tried to grab Mejia’s left arm as it emerged from the broken driver’s side window.
Initial report:Man shot dead by border guards after chasing vehicle near Sasabe
The agent kept trying to grab Mejia’s arm as he started to reverse the car.
Then, as Mejia began to veer sharply to turn the car to the left, the agent pulled out a handgun and fired at Mejia inside the vehicle.
Two agents attempted to resuscitate Mejia and used defibrillators to assist. Mejia was pronounced dead at the scene by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
“I believe this police officer needs to be criminally charged,” Saldívar said.
BMW was first discovered near Sasabe Port
The incident began at 6:18 p.m. when a Border Patrol remote camera operator saw several suspected illegal immigrants board a BMW about a mile north of the Sasabe port of entry.
Two Border Patrol agents began chasing the BMW and noticed the driver was driving “crazy”. Officials switched on the emergency equipment to stop traffic, but the driver continued to drive and was pursued.
Investigators pursued the BMW as the driver turned west near the 20-mile mark on State Route 286 onto Brown Bear Canyon Road. At 6:41 pm, the BMW driver attempted to turn the vehicle south on 6.8 miles west of SR 286.
Video footage and other evidence was provided to the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department hours after the shooting, according to CBP.
Got news tips or story ideas about the border and its communities? josecastaneda@arizonarepublic.com Or connect with him on Twitter @joseicastaneda.
