AJO, Arizona. – U.S. Border Patrol agents who responded to reports of shootings shot and killed a man on a tribal reservation in southern Arizona after he suddenly threw an object and raised his arm, Border Patrol said. I gave my first detailed account of last week’s shooting near the border.

of FBI and the Tohono O’Dum Nation Authorities were also investigating Thursday’s shooting of Raymond Mattia, but had not released details of the shooting by Tuesday.

of statement A statement issued Monday night by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said tribal police had reportedly fired on tribal lands near the southern U.S. border, west of the Menagers Dam settlement, after a tribal raid was reportedly fired. Police have asked border guards for assistance. The village is located on a reservation east of the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a vast UNESCO biosphere reserve of remote and rugged terrain bordering the state of Sonora, Mexico.

Monday’s statement suggests that CBP is working to increase transparency regarding deadly armed incidents.

“I would say that CBP has become more cautious,” said Adam Isakson, director of U.S. border defense oversight at the nongovernmental organization’s Latin America office in Washington. “This could be a game-changer because it allows us to see what the cameras are seeing, not just the agent’s description of what happened.”

The three border guards who fired the shots and at least seven other people at the scene were wearing body cameras that were activated during the shooting, the ministry said.

“CBP is committed to the expeditious release of body-worn camera footage of this incident in a timely manner without affecting ongoing law enforcement investigations,” it said.

Investigators were informed of a shooting near the home of a “certain individual” around 9:30 p.m. Thursday, according to a CBP statement, and tribal officials were sent to the scene to search for the individual. headed. Agents follow behind in another vehicle.

Minutes after arriving, officers and investigators encountered the man outside the home near a parked car, officials said.

The statement said the man threw an object of some sort at the officer who landed a few feet away, then “suddenly pulled his right arm away from his body, and three officers fired tactical weapons, striking the individual several times. I shot him.”

The man was pronounced dead shortly after 10pm, according to CBP, despite life-saving efforts after bad weather prevented an ambulance from taking him to hospital.

Tribal president Ned Norris Jr. identified the man Sunday as Mattia, 58, a member of the Tohono O’Dumm Nation. Norris did not provide further details about the shooting, including whether investigators found a weapon, and a tribal spokesman did not respond to subsequent inquiries.

The Pima County coroner’s office said Tuesday that an autopsy last week found Mattia died from “gunshot wounds received while interacting with law enforcement.” The agency said it would not comment further until the written test report was released, which is expected to take several weeks.

The agent involved in the shooting is on paid leave.

About 7,000 body cameras are currently being issued to agency workplaces under the program, which began in August 2021.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mallorcas released a policy on its use this week, saying the department will continue to bring more cameras online while working with Congress to secure more funding. .

The shooting has been reviewed by CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility and will be reviewed by the agency’s National Use of Force Review Board, the statement said.

CBP released body camera footage from an organization earlier this month. April 2 shooting incident Near Las Cruces, New Mexico. Investigators drove through a checkpoint without stopping and led a chase of about 23 miles (37 km) before shooting the alleged chasing man dead with a wooden club. The staff fired about 16 shots, and the man was confirmed dead on the spot.

In April, CBP released body camera footage of Border Patrol agents shooting and killing an American driving a suspected smuggling vehicle on the night of March 14 near Sassabe, Arizona. CBP said the driver led investigators in pursuit and later died. As he paused to turn around, an officer opened fire as he wrestled him through the window.

Border guards are rarely convicted of criminal offenses in shooting cases.

In one high-profile incident, former Arizona border patrol officer Ronnie Swartz found not guilty He was charged with a federal criminal case in the cross-border shooting of a Mexican teenage boy who threw stones at him. Prosecutors allege Swartz overreacted in the 2012 murder of Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez.