A suspected smuggler was shot dead by border guards during a contact near Sasabe on March 14.
Contributed Article/Courtesy US Customs and Border Protection
Sasabe – At approximately 6:18 p.m. on March 14, a U.S. Border Patrol remote camera operator observed suspected illegal immigrants boarding a BMW sedan approximately one mile north of the port of entry in Sasabe, Arizona. Did. The camera operator radioed the information to border agents in the area.
Two agents, who were parked in a separately marked Border Patrol vehicle near Mile Marker 12 on Route 286, observed a BMW driving north on their location. , started tracking. The driver of the BMW was reportedly driving erratically, turning the turn signals on and off and speeding up and down.
Agents activated emergency equipment to stop the vehicle at 6:34 PM. BMW was unyielding and the pursuit continued. The BMW turned west about 20 miles from him on Route 286 into Brown Bear Canyon Road and agents continued to pursue the vehicle. At about 6:41 pm, the BMW driver turned his vehicle 3.8 miles south of SR 286 west while attempting to turn.
Special Agents from Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility reviewed incident-driven video recording system footage related to the incident captured by body-worn cameras. Footage shows that the first border patrol officer to arrive placed a border patrol vehicle behind his BMW, got out of the vehicle, and approached the BMW’s driver’s side. Agents used a folding straight bar to break the BMW’s rear and front driver’s side windows. The agent reached into the vehicle as it backed up. The BMW driver continued to move the vehicle backwards as agents tried to grab the driver’s left arm. The vehicle came to a halt and the driver changed gears and began steering with his right hand while the agent held the driver’s left forearm. His left forearm is outside and under the driver’s side window. The agent drew his handgun and fired his first shot at the BMW driver.
Border Patrol investigators found six occupants of the vehicle, including a U.S. citizen who sat in the front seat and exited the vehicle just before the shooting, two illegal immigrants in the back seat, and three other illegal immigrants in the trunk. has been secured. Both agents, trained as emergency medical technicians, performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation and used automated external defibrillators to assist the driver of the vehicle. The driver, a U.S. citizen, was declared dead at the scene by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
The Pima County coroner’s office conducted an autopsy on the driver on March 15. Further details regarding the cause of death and cause of death will be released by the Department upon review.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General, and CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility responded to the scene. The case is being investigated by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI, and is being reviewed by CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility. The matter was also referred to the DHS Office of the Inspector General.
Agents involved in the use of force are on leave, as is standard practice at this point in the investigation following the use of lethal force. Consistent with the Executive Order on Promoting Effective and Responsible Policing of May 25, 2022, CBP will promptly investigate this incident in a timely manner without prejudice to ongoing law enforcement investigations. We promise to release the footage from the body-worn camera as soon as possible. Criminal Justice Practices to Strengthen Public Trust and Public Safety.
The case will be reviewed by CBP’s National Use of Force Review Board at the conclusion of its investigation. More information about CBP’s use of force review process can be found at: https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/cbp-use-force/update-cbp-national-use-force-review-board.
US Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security that combines customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection to provide comprehensive border control, administration, and control to and from official ports of entry. , is responsible for protection.
