By Steve Neavling
A migrant who was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent in southern Arizona first assaulted the agent with a rock, the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office said.
The sheriff’s office is investigating the fatal shooting that occurred at about 10 p.m. on Saturday in a rugged area of the Peloncillo Mountains in Douglas, a few miles north of the border.
In a statement, the sheriff’s office said the agent was acting in self-defense when he shot the migrant multiple times, 12 News-TV reports.
The migrant has been identified as 32-year-old Carmelo Cruz-Marcos of Mexico.
Moments before the shooting, the agent encountered a group of undocumented migrants, including Cruz-Marcos. The migrants ran, prompting a foot chase. Both Cruz-Marcos and the agent tripped, and a struggle ensued.
Cruz-Marcos struck the agent in the shoulder and then retrieved a rock, according to the sheriff’s office. As the migrant raised his arm with the rock, the agent told investigators that he had “feared for his life” and pulled the trigger.
