Excessive Force? Government Condemns CBP's Fatal Shooting of Mexican Citizen Elliot Spagat - Associated Press
go to original February 21, 2014

Migrant Shot Dead by U.S. Border Agent Near San Diego After Throwing Rock (Democracy Now!)

The Mexican government on Thursday condemned a U.S. Border Patrol agent's fatal shooting of a Mexican man who allegedly struck the agent in the head with a rock near the U.S-Mexico border in California.

Mexico's Foreign Relations Department said it was "deeply concerned" about the killing of 41-year-old Jesus Flores Cruz near San Diego. The department said lethal force should be avoided in immigration enforcement.

The unidentified agent fired his gun Tuesday after Flores Cruz hurled several large rocks, including one about the size of a basketball, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department said.

One of the larger pieces hit the agent in the head and that the agent feared for his life, investigators said.

Flores Cruz suffered two gunshot wounds, the sheriff's department said in a press release. Authorities said they confirmed his identity with a fingerprint match from a 1996 arrest by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. No further details on that arrest were released.

Under current policy, agents can use deadly force if they have a reasonable belief that their lives or the lives of others are in danger. The Border Patrol has long maintained rocks can be lethal weapons.

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