By Steve Neavling
Ticklethewire.com

An ATF FBI agent was in critical condition this morning after being shot while working undercover in a joint operation with Chicago police on the city’s South Side.

The agent was shot by an unknown gunman around 3:15 a.m. and rushed to Stroger Hospital

ATF agents have partnered with Chicago police to crack down on the proliferation of gang-related rifle shootings in that part of the city.

Gang members with rifles have shot more than 14o people – 50 of them fatally, between the fall of 2016 and the end of 2017, according to the Chicago Tribune.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether Friday’s shooting involved a rifle.

The identity of the ATF agent was not disclosed as of 8 a.m. on Friday.

By Steve Neavling
Ticklethewire.com

Prosecutors are mulling whether they should pursue a retrial in the case of a Border Patrol agent charged with manslaughter for fatally shooting a teenager after an Arizona jury deadlocked on the lesser accounts.

The jury found Agent Lonnie Swartz not guilty of second-degree murder in the death of 16-year-old Antonio Elena Rodriguez, who was with a group throwing rocks at agents from the Nogales, Mexico, side of the border.

U.S. District Judge Raner Collins declared a mistrial after the jury deadlocked on a lesser charge of manslaughter, NPR reports. 

In October 2012, Swartz responded to the rocks by firing 16 shots, striking Rodriguez eight times in the back and twice in the head.

Swartz’s attorneys said the agent was protecting himself and fellow agents when he opened fire. Prosectors said he pulled the trigger because he was frustrated with rock throwers.

By Steve Neavling
Ticklethewire.com

A Border Patrol agent on trial in the 2012 fatal shooting of a teenager across the Mexican border testified Monday that he shot through a fence in Nogales because he was protecting himself and his fellow law enforcement officers.

Lonnie Swartz, who is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 16-year-old Elena Rodriguez, testified Monday that he opened fire after a group of rock-throwers from Mexico struck a fellow agent, Tucson.com reports.

Prosecutors said Swartz fired 16 shots, striking the teenager 10 times, including eight times in the back and twice in the head.

Swartz testified for more than two hours, telling the jury that he heard rocks striking the fence and that a fellow agent had been injured. He added that an alleged drug smuggler, whom the rock-throwers were said to be protecting, had a large knife in his pocket.

“I was scared, scared to be hit by a rock, (scared) for my partner,” Swartz said. “I had to act quickly. I only had seconds to stop the threat.”

But the fellow agent testified earlier that he was not injured and that a rock rolled onto his foot.

The NSA headquarters in Maryland.

By Steve Neavling
Ticklethewire.com

At least three people, including a police officer, were shot this morning near NSA headquarters in Maryland, and one suspect is in custody, according to local media reports.

The shooting broke out around 7:15 a.m. near the visitor’s gate at Fort Meade, Fox 5 reports. 

None of the injuries appears to be life-threatening, WBAL reports. 

Route 32, which is adjacent to the headquarters, was closed both ways.

The FBI is on the scene.

Details were still murky at 8:45 a.m.

By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com

An FBI agent shot and wounded a man during a confrontation Monday in the Sun Valley neighborhood in Los Angeles, KABC reports.

The shooting occurred while executing a search warrant around 5:40 a.m. in the 10300 block of Horse Haven Street. The identity of the person shot was not immediately disclosed.

The agent discharged the gun during an altercation with the person.

Photo via FBI

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

The ATF and FBI have joined the hunt for a suspect in the fatal shooting of a rookie cop in Pennsylvania.

An arrest warrant has been issued for 29-year-old Rahmael Sal Holt, who is accused of killing New Kensington Officer Brian Shaw during a traffic stop Friday night, KDKA/AP reports.

Holt has a lengthy criminal record, ranging from assault to carrying a firearm without a license.

The 25-year-old rookie officer was chasing Holt on foot when the cop was shot in the chest. 

The FBI, U.S. Marshall’s Service and ATF contributed a combined $40,000 in reward money for the capture of Holt.

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Body cam footage of the shooting death of Patrick Harmon.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

A Utah prosecutor is urging the FBI to investigate a white police officer who shot and killed a black man who was stopped on his bicycle for crossing traffic without the required rear light.

Dramatic body cam footage of the Aug. 13 shooting shows Salt Lake Police Officer Clinton Fox yelling, “I’ll (expletive) shoot you” before firing his gun at 50-year-old Patrick Harmon from behind.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill ruled the shooting was justified, saying Harmon initially turned toward officers after threatening he had a knife, which was not discernible in the video. A knife was later found at the scene, according to police.

But Harmon’s family and civil rights activists applauded the decision to involve the FBI, saying the district attorney should resign for defending the officer.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

A San Diego federal judge defended Border Patrol’s use of deadly force against rock throwers in a case involving a lawsuit filed by the family of a Mexican man killed at the border.

Border Patrol Agent Dorian Diaz fatally shot Jesus Yanez Reyes, 40, while he allegedly was throwing rocks at agents who were pursuing him.

U.S. District Judge William Hayes ruled last week that Border Patrol agents should not be held liable for Reyes’ death, the Los Angeles Times reports. 

“The Court concludes that the unique circumstances surrounding Yañez’s death implicate national security issues related to the security of our nation’s borders,” Hayes said.

Hayes also said Diaz is entitled to qualified immunity.

Lawyers for Reyes’ family plan to appeal.

“We feel strongly the law was clearly established on this point,” said attorney Gerald Singleton.