Border agent killed, another injured during ‘attack’ near Texas southern border Fox News

[shockedcanadian]

RIP Agent Rogelio Martinez, You died defending your country from foreign threats hellbent on breaking your laws.

Border agent killed, another injured during ‘attack’ near Texas southern border

A U.S. Border Patrol agent was killed in the line of duty Sunday while patrolling the Big Bend Sector of Texas along the southern border with Mexico.

Agent Rogelio Martinez, 36, died of injuries sustained while responding to “activity” near Interstate 10 in the Van Horn Station area, according to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Martinez and his partner, who was injured, were transported to a hospital. The partner, who was not identified, remains hospitalized in serious condition.

Border Protection spokesman Carlos Diaz told The Associated Press the FBI has taken over the investigation.

Martinez, who was from El Paso, worked as a border agent since August 2013.

President Trump pushed the need for his proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall Sunday night following the incident, tweeting: "Border Patrol Officer killed at Southern Border, another badly hurt. We will seek out and bring to justice those responsible. We will, and must, build the Wall!"

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/932420488642617344
Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

Border Patrol Officer killed at Southern Border, another badly hurt. We will seek out and bring to justice those responsible. We will, and must, build the Wall!

8:29 PM - Nov 19, 2017

• 
  11,09411,094 Replies
  
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  15,97015,970 Retweets
  
• 
  60,28660,286 likes

Twitter Ads info and privacy


Elaine Duke, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, released a statement Sunday calling Martinez’s death a “tragic event.”

“Earlier this morning, I was notified that Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez died as a result of serious injuries suffered while on patrol in the Big Bend Sector of our southern border in Texas. Agent Martinez was responding to activity while on patrol with another agent, who was also seriously injured,” the statement read.

 

[anotherlife]

The cartels released a statement years ago, that they give live fire cover to more major drug shipments to ensure their safe transfer from Mexico to the United States.

 

[Sunni Man]

According to liberals, they were just innocent "Dreamers" protecting themselves from the xenophobic Border Patrol agents. .....

 

[waltky]

Texas offers $20k Reward for info in Murder of Border Agent Rogelio Martinez...

$20,000 Reward in Murder of Border Agent
Nov. 20, 2017 - The state offered $20,000 reward on Monday for information leading to the arrest and conviction in the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez in remote West Texas.

Texas offered $20,000 reward on Monday for information leading to the arrest and conviction in the murder of U.S. Border Patrol agent Rogelio Martinez in the remote I-10 corridor in West Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott announced at midday that he has authorized the reward through the state's Crime Stoppers program, a state hotline for information to help solve crimes. Abbott said all tips are guaranteed to be confidential. Martinez, 36, died Sunday after he and his Big Bend sector partner responded to "activity near Interstate 10" in the Van Horn area, about 120 miles east of El Paso, officials said. His partner, whose name has not been released, reported that they were injured and needed assistance, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. The partner was transported to a hospital in El Paso and remains in serious condition.

While union officials on Sunday reported the two agents were hit with rocks, an updated statement on Monday made no mention of what happened. Other officials including U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, said the agents were attacked. Stu Harris, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council Local 1929 in El Paso, said he could not confirm whether the agents had been hit with rocks. "We are letting the investigation take place and seeing if they can bring these people to justice," he said. Martinez had been a Border Patrol agent since August 2013, federal officials said. "We owe a great deal of gratitude to the brave men and women of the United States Border Patrol who serve every day to protect our homeland," Abbott said in a statement. "As authorities continue their investigation, it is important that they receive any and all information to help apprehend and deliver swift justice to those responsible.

The state offered $20,000 reward on Monday for information leading to the arrest and conviction in the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez in the remote I-10 corridor in West Texas.​

Abbott said that to become eligible for the cash rewards, anyone with information on fugitives can provide information three different ways: The Culberson County Sheriff's Department, the FBI, the Office of the Inspector General and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency are investigating the incident. On Sunday, President Donald Trump tweeted about the incident and reiterated his calls for a border wall: "Border Patrol Officer killed at Southern Border, another badly hurt. We will seek out and bring to justice those responsible. We will, and must, build the Wall!" Abbott tweeted out his condolences late Sunday. "Our prayers are with the families of this Border Patrol Agent who was killed & the other who was injured in this attack in Texas. Our resources must be increased to prevent these attacks in the future," the governor's tweet said.

In a statement, Cruz called the incident "a stark reminder of the ongoing threat that an unsecure border poses to the safety of our communities and those charged with defending them. "We are grateful for the courage and sacrifice of our border agents who have dedicated their lives to keeping us safe," the Republican senator said."I remain fully committed to working with the Border Patrol to provide them with all the resources they need to safeguard our nation." His Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, said on Twitter that his "thoughts are with the family of agent Rogelio Martinez & the entire Border Patrol. We will pursue investigation & justice."

Texas Offers $20,000 Reward in Murder of Border Patrol Agent

 

[Ted Frazier]

RIP Agent Rogelio Martinez, You died defending your country from foreign threats hellbent on breaking your laws.

Border agent killed, another injured during ‘attack’ near Texas southern border

A U.S. Border Patrol agent was killed in the line of duty Sunday while patrolling the Big Bend Sector of Texas along the southern border with Mexico.

Agent Rogelio Martinez, 36, died of injuries sustained while responding to “activity” near Interstate 10 in the Van Horn Station area, according to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Martinez and his partner, who was injured, were transported to a hospital. The partner, who was not identified, remains hospitalized in serious condition.

Border Protection spokesman Carlos Diaz told The Associated Press the FBI has taken over the investigation.

Martinez, who was from El Paso, worked as a border agent since August 2013.

President Trump pushed the need for his proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall Sunday night following the incident, tweeting: "Border Patrol Officer killed at Southern Border, another badly hurt. We will seek out and bring to justice those responsible. We will, and must, build the Wall!"

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

Border Patrol Officer killed at Southern Border, another badly hurt. We will seek out and bring to justice those responsible. We will, and must, build the Wall!

8:29 PM - Nov 19, 2017

• 
  11,09411,094 Replies
  
• 
  15,97015,970 Retweets
  
• 
  60,28660,286 likes

Twitter Ads info and privacy


Elaine Duke, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, released a statement Sunday calling Martinez’s death a “tragic event.”

“Earlier this morning, I was notified that Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez died as a result of serious injuries suffered while on patrol in the Big Bend Sector of our southern border in Texas. Agent Martinez was responding to activity while on patrol with another agent, who was also seriously injured,” the statement read.

And the award for thread that aged least well goes too....

AP source: Border patrol agent may have fallen

 

[Baz Ares]

Texas offers $20k Reward for info in Murder of Border Agent Rogelio Martinez...

$20,000 Reward in Murder of Border Agent
Nov. 20, 2017 - The state offered $20,000 reward on Monday for information leading to the arrest and conviction in the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez in remote West Texas.

Texas offered $20,000 reward on Monday for information leading to the arrest and conviction in the murder of U.S. Border Patrol agent Rogelio Martinez in the remote I-10 corridor in West Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott announced at midday that he has authorized the reward through the state's Crime Stoppers program, a state hotline for information to help solve crimes. Abbott said all tips are guaranteed to be confidential. Martinez, 36, died Sunday after he and his Big Bend sector partner responded to "activity near Interstate 10" in the Van Horn area, about 120 miles east of El Paso, officials said. His partner, whose name has not been released, reported that they were injured and needed assistance, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. The partner was transported to a hospital in El Paso and remains in serious condition.

While union officials on Sunday reported the two agents were hit with rocks, an updated statement on Monday made no mention of what happened. Other officials including U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, said the agents were attacked. Stu Harris, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council Local 1929 in El Paso, said he could not confirm whether the agents had been hit with rocks. "We are letting the investigation take place and seeing if they can bring these people to justice," he said. Martinez had been a Border Patrol agent since August 2013, federal officials said. "We owe a great deal of gratitude to the brave men and women of the United States Border Patrol who serve every day to protect our homeland," Abbott said in a statement. "As authorities continue their investigation, it is important that they receive any and all information to help apprehend and deliver swift justice to those responsible.

The state offered $20,000 reward on Monday for information leading to the arrest and conviction in the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez in the remote I-10 corridor in West Texas.​

Abbott said that to become eligible for the cash rewards, anyone with information on fugitives can provide information three different ways: The Culberson County Sheriff's Department, the FBI, the Office of the Inspector General and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency are investigating the incident. On Sunday, President Donald Trump tweeted about the incident and reiterated his calls for a border wall: "Border Patrol Officer killed at Southern Border, another badly hurt. We will seek out and bring to justice those responsible. We will, and must, build the Wall!" Abbott tweeted out his condolences late Sunday. "Our prayers are with the families of this Border Patrol Agent who was killed & the other who was injured in this attack in Texas. Our resources must be increased to prevent these attacks in the future," the governor's tweet said.

In a statement, Cruz called the incident "a stark reminder of the ongoing threat that an unsecure border poses to the safety of our communities and those charged with defending them. "We are grateful for the courage and sacrifice of our border agents who have dedicated their lives to keeping us safe," the Republican senator said."I remain fully committed to working with the Border Patrol to provide them with all the resources they need to safeguard our nation." His Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, said on Twitter that his "thoughts are with the family of agent Rogelio Martinez & the entire Border Patrol. We will pursue investigation & justice."

Texas Offers $20,000 Reward in Murder of Border Patrol Agent

So far. The guy killed himself. ATTACKED BY ROCKS..that he hit his head on while falling down a culvert.


I will claim the reward now. This rock did it.

 

[waltky]

Ambushed by migrants who beat him in the head with rocks...

Slain Agent Was Ambushed
Nov. 21, 2017 - The Border Patrol agent killed Sunday in west Texas was ambushed by migrants who beat him in the head with rocks, union officials said Monday.

Federal officials have yet to provide details about the incident, but the union representing Border Patrol agents described the attack on Agent Rogelio Martinez, 36, and his partner, as they were responding to reports of suspicious activity in the Big Bend area. Martinez died at a hospital and his partner, whose name was not released, was in serious condition. “What we know is that Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez appears to have been ambushed by a group of illegal aliens whom he was tracking. Our agents’ reports from the ground say that he was struck in the head multiple times with a rock or rocks,” said Brandon Judd, a Border Patrol agent and president of the San Diego-based National Border Patrol Council union that represents 16,000 agents. “The other agent arrived on scene a short time later and was also ambushed and struck in the head with what is believed to have been a rock or rocks,” Judd said. “These disgusting acts and complete disregard for human life need to stop immediately. Family members of slain Agent Martinez will never get to see him come home again all because we have failed to secure our borders from such criminals.”

At least 38 Border Patrol agents have died on and off duty since late 2003, according to records the agency posted online. But fatal on-duty attacks are rare for the federal force of more than 22,000 nationwide; the online list includes only a handful. Among the most high-profile killings of a Border Patrol agent in recent years was the 2010 murder of Arizona Agent Brian Terry, a case that became a rallying cry for those seeking stepped-up border security, something that Donald Trump promised during the 2016 campaign to address as president. Terry, 40, a former Marine, was fatally shot when his tactical team attempted to arrest a group of suspects near Nogales. Last April, a suspect was arrested in Mexico and charged in connection with the shooting. Other on-duty attacks include: Agent Nicholas Ivie, 30, shot and killed on duty Oct. 2, 2012, while responding to a sensor activation in a remote area near Bisbee, Ariz.; Agent Robert Rosas, 30, shot and killed by unidentified assailants while on patrol in a remote border area near Campo, Calif., in 2009; and Agent Luis Aguilar, 31, killed on duty near Yuma, Ariz., after a smuggler he was pursuing swerved into his car in 2008.

U.S. Border Patrol agents search heavy brush for migrants after they illegally crossed the Rio Grande in Fronton, Texas.​

Some attacks on agents have been captured using video surveillance. But there did not initially appear to be video footage of the latest attack on Martinez and his partner, according to Douglas Mosier, a Border Patrol spokesman in El Paso. Martinez’s family was notified of his death, but officials have yet to tell them how he died, according to his father, Jose Martinez. “I want them to investigate well, to tell me clearly what happened and to find the ones who did it and punish them,” said Jose Martinez, 53, an industrial mechanic in El Paso. He said the other agent who was hit in the head during the attack, a young man, suffered internal bleeding and still can’t talk. Martinez, an El Paso native, had been a border agent since August 2013. He graduated in 2007 from the University of Texas at El Paso, where he studied graphic design, his father said. Martinez married, bought a home and had an 11-year-old son. “He loved his country and he wanted to serve to protect it from terrorists,” his father said. “He loved his career.”

Martinez said he was concerned about his son’s safety, especially after he started managing the night shift earlier this year. “I told him, ‘Son, be careful.’ But he said, ‘No, I like it.’ I was worried about him,” Martinez said. The FBI was investigating Martinez’s death with the Texas Rangers and local agencies along Interstate 10 in Van Horn, about 110 miles southeast of El Paso, said El Paso FBI spokeswoman Jeanette Harper. Investigators plan to hold a briefing in El Paso on Tuesday, Mosier said. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, while announcing a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible, said: “We owe a great deal of gratitude to the brave men and women of the United States Border Patrol who serve every day to protect our homeland.” Border Patrol agents have complained in recent years about being assaulted on the job, and have advocated for more personnel so that they can patrol in pairs, which is considered safer, according to Chris Cabrera, an agent and union local president in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, which had seen the most migrant traffic of any area of the border in recent years.

MORE

 

[Baz Ares]

Ambushed by migrants who beat him in the head with rocks...

Slain Agent Was Ambushed
Nov. 21, 2017 - The Border Patrol agent killed Sunday in west Texas was ambushed by migrants who beat him in the head with rocks, union officials said Monday.

Federal officials have yet to provide details about the incident, but the union representing Border Patrol agents described the attack on Agent Rogelio Martinez, 36, and his partner, as they were responding to reports of suspicious activity in the Big Bend area. Martinez died at a hospital and his partner, whose name was not released, was in serious condition. “What we know is that Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez appears to have been ambushed by a group of illegal aliens whom he was tracking. Our agents’ reports from the ground say that he was struck in the head multiple times with a rock or rocks,” said Brandon Judd, a Border Patrol agent and president of the San Diego-based National Border Patrol Council union that represents 16,000 agents. “The other agent arrived on scene a short time later and was also ambushed and struck in the head with what is believed to have been a rock or rocks,” Judd said. “These disgusting acts and complete disregard for human life need to stop immediately. Family members of slain Agent Martinez will never get to see him come home again all because we have failed to secure our borders from such criminals.”

At least 38 Border Patrol agents have died on and off duty since late 2003, according to records the agency posted online. But fatal on-duty attacks are rare for the federal force of more than 22,000 nationwide; the online list includes only a handful. Among the most high-profile killings of a Border Patrol agent in recent years was the 2010 murder of Arizona Agent Brian Terry, a case that became a rallying cry for those seeking stepped-up border security, something that Donald Trump promised during the 2016 campaign to address as president. Terry, 40, a former Marine, was fatally shot when his tactical team attempted to arrest a group of suspects near Nogales. Last April, a suspect was arrested in Mexico and charged in connection with the shooting. Other on-duty attacks include: Agent Nicholas Ivie, 30, shot and killed on duty Oct. 2, 2012, while responding to a sensor activation in a remote area near Bisbee, Ariz.; Agent Robert Rosas, 30, shot and killed by unidentified assailants while on patrol in a remote border area near Campo, Calif., in 2009; and Agent Luis Aguilar, 31, killed on duty near Yuma, Ariz., after a smuggler he was pursuing swerved into his car in 2008.

U.S. Border Patrol agents search heavy brush for migrants after they illegally crossed the Rio Grande in Fronton, Texas.​

Some attacks on agents have been captured using video surveillance. But there did not initially appear to be video footage of the latest attack on Martinez and his partner, according to Douglas Mosier, a Border Patrol spokesman in El Paso. Martinez’s family was notified of his death, but officials have yet to tell them how he died, according to his father, Jose Martinez. “I want them to investigate well, to tell me clearly what happened and to find the ones who did it and punish them,” said Jose Martinez, 53, an industrial mechanic in El Paso. He said the other agent who was hit in the head during the attack, a young man, suffered internal bleeding and still can’t talk. Martinez, an El Paso native, had been a border agent since August 2013. He graduated in 2007 from the University of Texas at El Paso, where he studied graphic design, his father said. Martinez married, bought a home and had an 11-year-old son. “He loved his country and he wanted to serve to protect it from terrorists,” his father said. “He loved his career.”

Martinez said he was concerned about his son’s safety, especially after he started managing the night shift earlier this year. “I told him, ‘Son, be careful.’ But he said, ‘No, I like it.’ I was worried about him,” Martinez said. The FBI was investigating Martinez’s death with the Texas Rangers and local agencies along Interstate 10 in Van Horn, about 110 miles southeast of El Paso, said El Paso FBI spokeswoman Jeanette Harper. Investigators plan to hold a briefing in El Paso on Tuesday, Mosier said. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, while announcing a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible, said: “We owe a great deal of gratitude to the brave men and women of the United States Border Patrol who serve every day to protect our homeland.” Border Patrol agents have complained in recent years about being assaulted on the job, and have advocated for more personnel so that they can patrol in pairs, which is considered safer, according to Chris Cabrera, an agent and union local president in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, which had seen the most migrant traffic of any area of the border in recent years.

MORE

Poeple did not kill the border moron, the rock did.

 

[waltky]

Poeple did not kill the border moron, the rock did.

So did the rock...

... just jump up from the ground...

... an' throw itself atta border patrol agent?

 

[Picaro]

Long past time to grant our border police the right to self-defense and zero tolerance for criminal vermin. If that upsets a bunch of narco-state thugs tough, they can go screw themselves; if it upsets a bunch of racist scumbags that's just too bad, too. Build the wall, plant land mines, shoot violators if they even look at border police the wrong way; no need to concern ourselves with the snivelings of criminals and their self-inflicted problems, and deport the lawyers responsible for getting these border police killed.

 

[Picaro]

Ambushed by migrants who beat him in the head with rocks...

Slain Agent Was Ambushed
Nov. 21, 2017 - The Border Patrol agent killed Sunday in west Texas was ambushed by migrants who beat him in the head with rocks, union officials said Monday.

Federal officials have yet to provide details about the incident, but the union representing Border Patrol agents described the attack on Agent Rogelio Martinez, 36, and his partner, as they were responding to reports of suspicious activity in the Big Bend area. Martinez died at a hospital and his partner, whose name was not released, was in serious condition. “What we know is that Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez appears to have been ambushed by a group of illegal aliens whom he was tracking. Our agents’ reports from the ground say that he was struck in the head multiple times with a rock or rocks,” said Brandon Judd, a Border Patrol agent and president of the San Diego-based National Border Patrol Council union that represents 16,000 agents. “The other agent arrived on scene a short time later and was also ambushed and struck in the head with what is believed to have been a rock or rocks,” Judd said. “These disgusting acts and complete disregard for human life need to stop immediately. Family members of slain Agent Martinez will never get to see him come home again all because we have failed to secure our borders from such criminals.”

At least 38 Border Patrol agents have died on and off duty since late 2003, according to records the agency posted online. But fatal on-duty attacks are rare for the federal force of more than 22,000 nationwide; the online list includes only a handful. Among the most high-profile killings of a Border Patrol agent in recent years was the 2010 murder of Arizona Agent Brian Terry, a case that became a rallying cry for those seeking stepped-up border security, something that Donald Trump promised during the 2016 campaign to address as president. Terry, 40, a former Marine, was fatally shot when his tactical team attempted to arrest a group of suspects near Nogales. Last April, a suspect was arrested in Mexico and charged in connection with the shooting. Other on-duty attacks include: Agent Nicholas Ivie, 30, shot and killed on duty Oct. 2, 2012, while responding to a sensor activation in a remote area near Bisbee, Ariz.; Agent Robert Rosas, 30, shot and killed by unidentified assailants while on patrol in a remote border area near Campo, Calif., in 2009; and Agent Luis Aguilar, 31, killed on duty near Yuma, Ariz., after a smuggler he was pursuing swerved into his car in 2008.

U.S. Border Patrol agents search heavy brush for migrants after they illegally crossed the Rio Grande in Fronton, Texas.​

Some attacks on agents have been captured using video surveillance. But there did not initially appear to be video footage of the latest attack on Martinez and his partner, according to Douglas Mosier, a Border Patrol spokesman in El Paso. Martinez’s family was notified of his death, but officials have yet to tell them how he died, according to his father, Jose Martinez. “I want them to investigate well, to tell me clearly what happened and to find the ones who did it and punish them,” said Jose Martinez, 53, an industrial mechanic in El Paso. He said the other agent who was hit in the head during the attack, a young man, suffered internal bleeding and still can’t talk. Martinez, an El Paso native, had been a border agent since August 2013. He graduated in 2007 from the University of Texas at El Paso, where he studied graphic design, his father said. Martinez married, bought a home and had an 11-year-old son. “He loved his country and he wanted to serve to protect it from terrorists,” his father said. “He loved his career.”

Martinez said he was concerned about his son’s safety, especially after he started managing the night shift earlier this year. “I told him, ‘Son, be careful.’ But he said, ‘No, I like it.’ I was worried about him,” Martinez said. The FBI was investigating Martinez’s death with the Texas Rangers and local agencies along Interstate 10 in Van Horn, about 110 miles southeast of El Paso, said El Paso FBI spokeswoman Jeanette Harper. Investigators plan to hold a briefing in El Paso on Tuesday, Mosier said. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, while announcing a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible, said: “We owe a great deal of gratitude to the brave men and women of the United States Border Patrol who serve every day to protect our homeland.” Border Patrol agents have complained in recent years about being assaulted on the job, and have advocated for more personnel so that they can patrol in pairs, which is considered safer, according to Chris Cabrera, an agent and union local president in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, which had seen the most migrant traffic of any area of the border in recent years.

MORE

Poeple did not kill the border moron, the rock did.

Crawl back under your rock.

 

[waltky]

Billboards rolled out for Investigation of U.S. Border Patrol Agent's killers...

FBI Rolls Out Billboards in Investigation of U.S. Border Patrol Agent's Death
Dec. 1, 2017 - The FBI is using electronic billboards to reach out to motorists who may have witnesses the incident that left Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez dead and another agent injured.

The FBI is using electronic billboards to reach out to motorists who were on Interstate 10 on Nov. 18, the night a Border Patrol agent died and his partner was seriously injured in West Texas. Billboards across New Mexico, as well as in Arizona and southern California, will exhibit a photograph of Border Patrol agent Rogelio Martinez nearly two weeks after he died of traumatic head injuries near a remote stretch of I-10 close to Van Horn, Texas. “Since it was a holiday week, we understand I-10 is a popular corridor for individuals on vacation,” said Jeannette Harper, spokeswoman for the El Paso Division of the FBI. The mysterious death happened the weekend before Thanksgiving when many more people than usual were on the road traveling to visit relatives. “That’s why we’re widening the scope,” Harper said.

Investigators say 36-year-old Martinez and his partner were on patrol searching the area for “activity” on Nov. 18. The agents were found injured in a culvert, and Martinez died the following day. The surviving Border Patrol agent’s identity has not been made public. He suffered head trauma and has said he does not remember the incident, according to investigators. The El Paso FBI office is leading the investigation and treating the case as a “possible” assault on a federal officer but also considering “all other avenues,” Harper said. Among possible scenarios: an accidental fall into the culvert where the agents were found on that dark moonless night or a freak accident in which a vehicle or truck sideswiped the agents and knocked them into the culvert as they stood near I-10.

The FBI is using electronic billboards to reach out to motorists who may have witnesses the incident that left Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez dead and another agent seriously injured.​

The Border Patrol agents’ union insists that the men were assaulted and discounts the possibility of an accidental fall or traffic accident. Alfonso Perez, former deputy director of Customs and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said, “It would be very rare that two guys would get hit.” Perez retired in 2010 and now has his own risk assessment and security firm specializing in border issues. Perez said as part of due diligence investigators would also look closely at the agents themselves and the period leading up to the deadly incident. “Do a real in-depth background on these employees. You’d go back 24 hours. Where were they? Who did they engage with?” Perez said.

Just days after Martinez’s death, the FBI set up a tip line and is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that helps solve the case. The number to call is 1-800-CALL-FBI. The agency has received “numerous leads,” according to Harper, who declined to give an exact number. Electronic billboards will display the message across New Mexico today through Dec. 8. “Any assistance we can get in the course of this investigation is greatly appreciated,” said Border Patrol spokesman Doug Mosier.

FBI Rolls Out Billboards in Investigation of Border Agent's Death

 

[mamooth]

The local sheriff says they they were most likely sideswiped by a semi.

Investigators explore possibility that Border Patrol agent died in accident | Mexico | Dallas News
---
Culberson County Sheriff Oscar Carrillo, one of the first responders on the scene, believes a tractor trailer could have accidentally sideswiped Martinez and his partner while they were standing near a culvert just feet from Interstate 10. The highway is a heavily traveled route for interstate truckers and there have been a number of accidents, some of them caused by wind drafts, or drivers overcorrecting on the lonely road, Carrillo said.

“From the beginning we were radioed to assist in the incident as an injury, not an assault," he said. "That’s the way it was communicated to us.

“If this was an assault, believe me, as sheriff, I’d be the first one out there emphasizing safety in our community and with our deputies, pairing them up,” he added. “But from what I know and see, that was not the case here.”
---

 

[Ted Frazier]

RIP Agent Rogelio Martinez, You died defending your country from foreign threats hellbent on breaking your laws.

Border agent killed, another injured during ‘attack’ near Texas southern border

A U.S. Border Patrol agent was killed in the line of duty Sunday while patrolling the Big Bend Sector of Texas along the southern border with Mexico.

Agent Rogelio Martinez, 36, died of injuries sustained while responding to “activity” near Interstate 10 in the Van Horn Station area, according to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Martinez and his partner, who was injured, were transported to a hospital. The partner, who was not identified, remains hospitalized in serious condition.

Border Protection spokesman Carlos Diaz told The Associated Press the FBI has taken over the investigation.

Martinez, who was from El Paso, worked as a border agent since August 2013.

President Trump pushed the need for his proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall Sunday night following the incident, tweeting: "Border Patrol Officer killed at Southern Border, another badly hurt. We will seek out and bring to justice those responsible. We will, and must, build the Wall!"

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

Border Patrol Officer killed at Southern Border, another badly hurt. We will seek out and bring to justice those responsible. We will, and must, build the Wall!

8:29 PM - Nov 19, 2017

• 
  11,09411,094 Replies
  
• 
  15,97015,970 Retweets
  
• 
  60,28660,286 likes

Twitter Ads info and privacy


Elaine Duke, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, released a statement Sunday calling Martinez’s death a “tragic event.”

“Earlier this morning, I was notified that Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez died as a result of serious injuries suffered while on patrol in the Big Bend Sector of our southern border in Texas. Agent Martinez was responding to activity while on patrol with another agent, who was also seriously injured,” the statement read.

This "attack" thread didn't age well: https://www.usnews.com/news/us/arti...dence-of-attack-in-border-patrol-agents-death