[AZTOY]

Customs officer fatally shoots motorist at border
Associated Press
Feb. 13, 2003 11:05 AM

LUKEVILLE - A U.S. Customs inspector fatally shot a motorist Thursday who had apparently threatened him during an attempted inspection at a border crossing, a spokesman said.


The driver of the sports utility vehicle was crossing from Mexico into Arizona when he aroused suspicions that he might be smuggling something, said Customs spokesman Roger Maier.

The Customs inspector tried to inspect the vehicle but the driver interfered. The driver then threatened the inspector, prompting the officer to fire a single shot, striking the man, Maier said.

The man pulled away from the border crossing but drove off the road within 100 yards and died, Maier said.

The inspector wasn't injured.

Neither the suspect nor the inspector had been identified Thursday.

Maier said he didn't know what the suspect had done to threaten the inspector or why he had aroused suspicion.

Officials were still investigating early Thursday and hadn't determined whether there was anything inside the vehicle, which has Arizona license plates.

The border crossing at Lukeville, about 120 miles southwest of Phoenix, was closed while authorities investigated the shooting.

Maier said the crossing usually only handles light traffic during the week.

It's most busy on weekends when Arizonans are crossing through on their way to the beach resort of Puerto Penasco, Mexico, which is also known as Rocky Point.


http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0213bordershooting-ON.html

[DeltaElite]

US Customs 1
Smugglers 0

[dinosaur]

Major Al Qada Figure Slain Tom Ridge.

Or.....Refugee Murdered By Bush Death Squad Tom Daschle.

Or.....Child Dies From Gunfire Sarah Brady.:neener:

[Blackhawk]

Motorist?

He ceased being a motorist when he began giving the officer grief.

As somebody's tag line on TFL said, "Don't piss off the man with the gun."

[XLMiguel]

Conventional Wisdom 101: Don't threaten the man with a gun.:banghead:

[madkiwi]

Something doesn't smell right with this story.

I'm not saying the guy didn't get what he deserved, because not all the facts are there. How was he threatening the agent? Verbally, or with a weapon? Was he in the vehicle at the time? Was he trying to run the agent over?

Or was the agent one of those over-reacting, shielded by the badge, jack-booted federales who like to lord it over the serfs? Who then proceeded to escalate and use excessive force?

But what am I saying? If Lon Horiuchi can shoot a woman with a baby in her arms and get a promotion, we know this shooting was, by comparison, totally legit.

madkiwi

[DeltaElite]

Since there is no info otherwise, I will assume it is a good shooting.
Assuming it isn't, because of an inate hatred of Le is sad.
Serfs and Lords, someone has some issues. ;)

[El Tejon]

Wait and see.

[madkiwi]

Delta, when you live in the PRK like I do the concept of serfs and lords is uncomfortably fitting.

Have you met our wonderful Senators (in the Roman context), Queen Dianne and Lady Barbara?

madkiwi

[DeltaElite]

madkiwi,
LOL, you got me there. California seems to be a lost cause.

Move one state east, we have enough room for another gun enthusiast. :D

[Henry Bowman]

The last person given the title "Motorist" was Rodney King!:rolleyes:

[buzz_knox]

Since there is no info otherwise, I will assume it is a good shooting. Assuming it isn't, because of an inate hatred of Le is sad.

In the absence of more information, assuming that this was a good shoot shows an irrational bias in favor of law enforcement, as it constitutes a belief that everything they do must be correct unless proven otherwise. All we know now is that the officer killed a person, and says the person threatened him or her. No weapon is described; the threat isn't detailed; and nothing has been identified as being worth dying over. Smuggler trying to get away or cop having a bad day and losing his/her temper? We don't know yet.

[Bob Locke]

I'm with buzz: too much left unsaid in this snippit.

Unless there was an immediate threat to the Custom's officer (which is unclear in this piece), it seems to me that ordering the driver out of the vehicle, placing him under arrest, and then performing an exhaustive search of the vehicle would have been the course of action to take.

I'd like more info before I make any sort of call on this one.

[dev_null]

I'm also wondering about the "one shot stop" aspect. One round fired, suspect drives off 300 feet before dying. Kinda makes Mozambiques sound like a good idea, dunnit?

-0-

[buzz_knox]

Not really. Guy gets shot, rams foot on accelerator, then passes out from blood loss. Pressure comes off accelerator but vehicle continues rolling for a while.

[AZTOY]

02/13/03
Deadly Shooting At Port Of Entry

By Som Lisaius , News 13

The Lukeville port of entry was shut down for eight hours Thursday after a Customs official shot and killed a man trying to illegally cross the border. This was especially troublesome considering the Lukeville crossing is the primary route to the northern Mexico resort town of Rocky Point. Says Sgt. James Ogden of the Pima County Sheriff's Department, "US Customs inspectors did recognize the individual as being a port runner." That is, somebody who crashes the border without answering any questions or--sometimes--without even slowing down. That was the case Thursday morning just before 9 o'clock...when Customs agents stopped and confronted the driver of a red Chevy Suburban trying to cross into the United States. "It could be illegal drugs, it could be some illegal activity...and normally what they do, they don't stop," says Sgt. Ogden. "They just go right through." But before he could do so, his Suburban was surrounded by Customs officials. We still don't know what he was carrying inside. But whatever it was, it may have led to the fight that followed. Says Sgt. Ogden, "During the scuffle the US Customs inspector discharged his weapon...at which time the driver drove approximately 100 more yards and then stopped his vehicle." The man was dead and within minutes, the border was closed...and hundreds of vacation seekers were turned away. "We're headed to Puerto Penasco. We're out of Yuma." Dick Jensen is among this group of about 100 tourists headed to Rocky Point. Their buses never made it past the checkpoint near Why. "We get down the road here just a little ways out of why and the rangers got it blocked," Jensen said. "I guess there was some kind of shooting at the border and they sent us back." The same was true for these motor homes and fifth wheels parked all along Arizona Route 85... "Can't get upset about it because it don't do any good," says Carl Cobb, a 67 year old Sacramento man on his way to Rocky Point. With the investigation taking most of the day, the port of entry finally re-opened around 5 PM Thursday. "No one's upset. That's the way it goes," Cobb says, standing in the rain in Why. "Most of the people are retired people anyway...so they have more time than money."

http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=1130478

[Greg L]

"It could be illegal drugs, it could be some illegal activity...and normally what they do, they don't stop," says Sgt. Ogden. "They just go right through." But before he could do so, his Suburban was surrounded by Customs officials. We still don't know what he was carrying inside.

:scrutiny:

Couple of things there. Don't they have some sort of barrier at the border to stop the cars or is it just a customs guy standing in the middle of the road waving his arms and yelling stop? I've never been there or seen pictures of it but I can't imagine that it would be wide open. A few concrete barracades set up in a S pattern where the drivers need to slow down to 5mph to go through it would work wonders. Have a seperate lane for trucks and buses.

The shooting happened yesterday morning and they haven't been able to find anything in the Suburban in that amount of time? :scrutiny: Something tells me that they won't find anything that he may have put in the vehicle.

Greg

[Patrick]

I am always amazed at the wild speculation and conspiracy theories that result when such a story is posted.

Grab a bag of ice for your black eye and try to keep that knee from jerking so hard next time.

Is it too much to ask that we wait for the facts before we start throwing barbs at an officer involved in a shooting? Or the victim for that matter?

[AZTOY]

Tucson, Arizona Friday, 14 February 2003



Motorist killed by customs inspector
By L. Anne Newell
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

A U.S. Customs Service inspector fatally shot a motorist Thursday at the Lukeville port of entry after he apparently threatened the inspector and tried to drive through the port, officials said.

The motorist, who was not identified, was pronounced dead at the scene after his red Chevrolet Suburban drove through the port and came to rest about 85 yards down Highway 85, said Roger Maier, a customs spokesman. The vehicle crossed into opposing lanes as it drifted, he said, but there were no other vehicles on the road.

The 46-year-old customs inspector, a 17-month veteran of the agency whose name also was not released, was not injured in the incident, Maier said. The shooting occurred only a few miles from where National Park Service Ranger Kris Eggle was killed in a shootout last August, about 150 miles southwest of Tucson

The incident began at 8:50 a.m., as the Chevy, which had Arizona plates, tried to enter the United States, Maier said.



The inspector thought the vehicle, the only one in the port at the time, was suspicious, Maier said, and other inspectors recognized the driver as one who'd forced his way through the port at least twice before.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department is investigating the shooting. Sgt. James Ogden said the inspector "recognized the driver as a port-runner."

The inspector asked the motorist to comply with a search of the vehicle, Maier said, but the man did not.

A confrontation ensued and the inspector felt he was in danger and fired his Glock 9 mm semiautomatic handgun once into the vehicle, Maier said.

Customs investigators had not been able to search the dead man's SUV by Thursday evening, Maier said, and could not say whether it contained illegal drugs or contraband.

Ogden said the Suburban was sealed at the scene by homicide detectives and transported to Tucson to be examined.

The inspector - who worked for an East Coast police department before joining Customs - should receive time off to recover from the incident, he said.

Authorities closed the port while they investigated the incident. Department of Public Safety officers turned away motorists at Why, some 30 miles to the north, said Officer Frank Valenzuela, a spokesman.

Maier said the closure didn't impede a large number of motorists, estimating 800 to 900 vehicles enter the United States via the port each day. Normally open 6 a.m. to midnight, the port was reopened at 5 p.m., officials said.

The incident was unusual, he said, but not the first of its kind.

In addition to the shootout that killed Eggle, a Mexican customs inspector was fatally shot about 50 yards south of the Nogales port of entry in November 1997. Last year, a Tohono O'odham police officer was seriously injured when he was run over by a smuggler's vehicle in a remote area about eight miles north of the border.

And late Tuesday, a U.S. Border Patrol agent suffered a concussion when two members of a group of suspected illegal entrants he was tracking hit him on the head, neck and back with a large rock. Early the next day, two groups of illegal entrants said they'd been shot at in the desert near Three Points. One man was hit in the stomach but is expected to survive.


http://www.azstarnet.com/star/today/30214CUSTOMSSHOOTING.html

[DeltaElite]

It's all about balance guys, Yin and Yang.
You assume the cop is a cold blooded, jack booted killer.
I assume he is just a guy doing his job.

The truth usually lies somewhere in between.
So we both have our place and purpose in this thread. :D

Carry on. :p

Addendum: I will admit when I am wrong, as I did in the "Cookeville Puppy Massacre" thread.

[Peetmoss]

Delta Elite is 100% correct.

[Bob Locke]

Actually, I'm making no assumption at all. I just wanted to know a little more about what happened.

Still no additional info on what the "threat" was to the officer, so I (and everyone else) will be in the dark until more is learned and made public.

I have no problem whatsoever with an LEO defending himself, or our borders for that matter. I just think that when someone is shot dead there ought to be more clarification as to why it happened. And, IMO, simply running the border isn't really a reason to fatally shoot someone. Unless there was a weapon involved (and I'd definitely consider a Chevy Suburban a weapon) in the threat, then my initial conclusion based on the current facts at hand has to be that the agent overreacted.

Hopefully more light will be shed shortly.

[DeltaElite]

Time will tell if it was a good shooting.

An officer in the Phoenix valley was indicted for a bad shooting, where he claimed a female attempted to run him over.
Odd part is that he was next to the car, he was indicted and has yet to go to trial.

Time will tell.

[jmbg29]

Time will tell.What I am wondering is, will I have to wait for the Geraldo TV special before I find out what was in the Suburban?

[mrat]

And, IMO, simply running the border isn't really a reason to fatally shoot someone.

I disagree, running the border should not be tolerated and force should be used to stop the person. We must protect our borders. From some of the threads that I have read on here tell me that our southern border is out of control.

[Ryder]

Everybody crossing the border knows they are subject to inspection. What is there to argue about?

As many times as I've crossed the border the thought of arguing with those guards has never even crossed my mind!

I view border crossings as a legal no-man's land. No rights, only wrongs. Serves me well.

[Al Norris]

Inspector feared for safety in shooting (http://www.azstarnet.com/star/today/30215CUSTOMSSHOOTINGFOLO.html)
Motorist was pulling on him, official says
By L. Anne Newell
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

A U.S. Customs Service inspector who fatally shot a motorist Thursday did so after the man started to drive away, pulling the inspector with him, authorities said Friday.

Inspector Phillip Reese, 46, a 17-month agency veteran, also told authorities the motorist - whom he suspected was smuggling drugs - had reached for something in the vehicle and he feared the man would injure another nearby inspector if the vehicle continued moving forward, said Sgt. James Ogden, a Pima County Sheriff's Department spokesman.

Reese also knew he could be rammed into a concrete pole if the driver - who still had not been identified late Friday - didn't let go of him, Ogden said.

"Inspector Reese was in fear of not only his own safety, but for a fellow inspector's safety," Ogden said. "Had the vehicle continued pulling forward, he was in fear the other inspector would be run over."

Reese was not injured in the incident. The motorist was pronounced dead at the scene, after his red Chevrolet Suburban continued through the port and came to rest 100 to 150 yards down Arizona 85, Ogden said.

A search of the Suburban turned up nothing of "significant value," Ogden said.

The incident began at 8:50 a.m. as the Chevy, which had Arizona plates, tried to enter the United States at Lukeville, 150 miles southwest of Tucson, Ogden said.

Reese noticed the driver was acting suspiciously as he approached the border, Ogden said, and seemed nervous. Also, a customs spokesman said Reese and other inspectors recognized him as someone who had forced his way through the port at least twice before.

The man was evasive when answering questions, Ogden said, and refused Reese's request to get out of the vehicle. Reese attempted to pull him out, Ogden said, and a struggle ensued.

The driver was able to start the Suburban during the struggle and began pulling on Reese while reaching down in the vehicle, Ogden said.

He then attempted to drive away while still pulling on the inspector, he said.

The inspector told officials he managed to unholster his Glock 9mm semi-automatic handgun and fire one shot into the Suburban. Ogden said the man was hit but continued driving, crossing to opposing lanes and coming to rest down the road.

Authorities are awaiting autopsy results to determine exactly where the man was hit, Ogden said, and whether he was under the influence of drugs.

The shooting occurred only a few miles from where National Park Service Ranger Kris Eggle died in a shootout last August and followed several other incidents in recent weeks in which both law enforcement officers and illegal entrants reported acts of violence.

Reese was expected to receive time off to recover from the incident, an agency official said.

[tyme]

The situation and the inspector's complete justification for the shooting sounds questionable, but the shooting doesn't. The truck has AZ plates, no drugs found after a search, and the driver is tentatively ID'd as a port runner.
"Inspector Reese was in fear of not only his own safety, but for a fellow inspector's safety," Ogden said. "Had the vehicle continued pulling forward, he was in fear the other inspector would be run over."Except the vehicle was driven into the U.S. after the driver was shot and still didn't run into anyone. Inspector Reese should stick to just that he was in danger - getting dragged alongside a suburban is not a low-risk activity, and that justifies the shooting IMO.

[DeltaElite]

Getting dragged justifies the shooting.
That pretty much ends this saga.

Nothing of significance was found in the truck, except the dead guy. ;)

[Bob Locke]

Reese also knew he could be rammed into a concrete pole if the driver - who still had not been identified late Friday - didn't let go of him, Ogden said.

"Inspector Reese was in fear of not only his own safety, but for a fellow inspector's safety," Ogden said. "Had the vehicle continued pulling forward, he was in fear the other inspector would be run over."
Good enough for me.