Body camera footage released this month by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows Border Patrol agents shooting dead the driver of a U.S. citizen in a car suspected of smuggling immigrants near the Arizona-Sonora border in March. is showing.

2021, CBP announced Some officials began wearing body cameras as a way to increase accountability and transparency in government agencies, and said the program would eventually expand nationwide. this is the first time.

This footage captures the final minutes of a vehicle chase near Sassave, Arizona on the evening of March 14th. According to CBP, immigration statement.

The vehicle refused to give way to investigators several miles down Route 286, the statement said. Footage shows one agent using a baton to smash the rear and front driver’s side windows. He grabs the driver’s left arm in an attempt to back the car, struggles briefly, and then fires into the window. The driver is seen lying down, but his left rear wheel is still spinning.

There is no accompanying audio for the shoot and struggle, but the agency said there was a two-minute buffer period when the cameras were first activated, so no audio was captured. For the remainder of the video, a second person surrenders from the vehicle and is handcuffed nearby. Other figures are seen getting out of the backseat and truck. According to CBP, the car had six passengers in it, including another U.S. citizen and his five illegal immigrants, in addition to the driver.

Joy Bertrand is a Phoenix attorney who co-represents several members of Noe Mejia’s family. She says his two minor children and other family members were not informed that the footage was being released.

“Normally I’m a big proponent of shedding light on governments and demanding accountability…but here…they didn’t warn this was going to happen. They found out through the news.” This information is still a liability, and I think even a simple notice that this was coming out would have made a difference, but it didn’t.”

CBP proprietary body cam Command It didn’t say whether the family should be notified.and statement Along with the announcement, CBP acting commissioner Troy Miller said the case would also be reviewed by CBP’s National Use of Force Review once another investigation by the Pima County Sheriff’s Office is completed.