19-year-old US citizen shot in the back by border patrol over marijuana...

[cynatnite]

A 19-year-old U.S. citizen, Carlos Lamadrid, was shot in the back three times by a U.S. Border Patrol agent while fleeing across the southern border into Mexico in May of 2011. The young man, a native of Douglas, Ariz., was unarmed and was reportedly transporting marijuana. Lamadrid died from his wounds in a local hospital shortly thereafter.

Lamadrids's mother, Guadalupe Guerrero, is now suing the federal government, alleging that the border agent who shot her son acted "outside the scope of his authority," according to the family's attorney, Richard Gonzalez.

"The border agent violated this kid's civil rights. The only time an agent is allowed to use deadly force is in order to protect him or herself or to protect others in the area," Gonzalez told The Huffington Post. "This kid was unarmed and fleeing. He posed no threat to the agent. Shooting him was grossly negligent."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/11/carlos-lamadrids-family-s_n_1585525.html

more...

At the time Carlos La Madrid, 19, was shot, he was carrying 48.2 pounds of marijuana in his pickup.

La Madrid was shot three times in the back area and once in the shoulder by an unidentified Border Patrol agent who was under attack by rock thrower. The rocks were being thrown south of the border fence, according to Carol Capas, spokesperson for the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office.

According to Capas, there was a ladder placed on the north side of the border fence by the subject(s) standing on top of the fence, which La Madrid was climbing when he was shot.

A 17-year-old male, Jesus Manuel Chino Lino, jumped from the back of the vehicle and fled towards the border fence along with La Madrid. Lino was taken into custody by the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office and booked as an adult charged with Possession of Marijuana for Sale, Transportation of Marijuana, and Possession of Paraphernalia.

No weapons were found in the vehicle.

The confrontation occurred after the vehicle had stopped near the International Border after being chased by the Douglas Police Department.

http://www.douglasdispatch.com/articles/2011/04/21/news/doc4d9249e95efd3025495481.txt

[Blue Owl]

1. I'm sure it's what God would want

[ZombieHorde]

2. In my opinion, if the details in the OP are true, the Boarder Patrol agent should be

charged with murder.

edit: I know "murder" is not the legal term.

[sweetloukillbot]

3. Why not say "drug smuggler shot while fleeing to Mexico"?

This isn't some kid busted with a joint. They had 48 pounds of marijuana, accomplices were throwing rocks at the agents, and he was shot while attempting to illegally enter Mexico by climbing the border fence.
Can't get to worked up over this one.

Edit to fix the amount of weed.

[_ed_]

4. Glad to hear you aren't "worked up" when

federal agents issue a death sentence to an alleged drug smuggler without a trial. Trials, lawyers, etc. can be so messy. Better to just shoot him in the back for some frontier style justice.

[sweetloukillbot]

5. This wasn't an execution.

They didn't line him up against the wall and shoot him in the back. He was fleeing the scene of a crime with accomplices assaulting the agents. In fact, he wasn't just fleeing the scene of a crime, he was fleeing into a foreign country. I'm sure the Mexican authorities would have been real friendly to our agents had they followed him.
I guess they should've just thrown up their hands and said, "Shucks, we couldn't catch ya. Have fun south of the border, bring us back some souvenirs!"
Just because Arizona cops are racist assholes doesn't mean Latino criminals are always right. And just because weed should be legal doesn't mean some punk should get a free pass when smuggling it into the country.

[EFerrari]

6. Of course it was an execution. The now dead kid

was fleeing, not threatening the border patrol thug in any way.

Sweet jeezus. I can't believe the crap that gets justified around here.

[sweetloukillbot]

9. Kid? The legal adult whose friends WERE threatening the officer? n/t

[EFerrari]

10. Yes, a 19 year old is a kid.

And saying he should pay with his life for his friends throwing rocks (if they were his friends and if they were throwing rocks) is ridiculous.

He wasn't a murderer or a rapist or a terrorist. He was smuggling weed. And fleeing into a foreign country. He posed zero threat to the American public or to that asshole thug who I hope gets sued to within an inch of his life.

[sweetloukillbot]

11. Those ifs imply that you don't believe the official report...

Fine. You'll never be convinced and I'm not going to bother arguing it.

[EFerrari]

12. You don't kill people just because they are getting away

unless they pose some kind of imminent risk to the public.

Which this kid clearly did not.

That's not how we do things in this country -- unless you are brown or black.

What a sorry assed place America has become.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. +1

[markpkessinger]

7. Merely fleeing the scene of a crime is hardly a justification for the use of deadly force n/'t

[Swede]

8. Execution.

Over weed. This guy should go to prison.

[Comrade_McKenzie]

13. The use of a firearm to stop someone from running from law enforcement should be a felony. nt