Texas Border Patrol agent fires at armed militia member while chasing border crossers

A Border Patrol agent working the Texas-Mexico border area near Brownsville fired upon an armed man who later claimed to be a militia member, reports NBCDFW-5.

According to Border Patrol spokesman Omar Zamora, several agents had been pursuing a group on undocumented immigrants the border Friday afternoon when one agent spotted a man carrying a long arm weapon. The agent fired four times, not hitting the man, who dropped his gun and identified himself as a militia member.

Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio, whose agency was brought in to conduct an investigation, said the incident occurred on private property and the man had permission to be there so no arrest was made. He also noted that the unidentified man was wearing camouflage and carrying either a rifle or shotgun when he suddenly came upon the group of agents.

Lucio explained the difficulties that the militia members are creating for law enforcement officers, saying, "It just creates a problem from my point of view, because we don't know who they are."

The sheriff pointed out that, with the Border Patrol, Texas Department of Public Safety and local law enforcement, there are already enough law enforcement agencies working to secure the border. While recognizing the militia's right to carry weapons, Lucio added, "We really don't need the militia here."

[Image South TX Border Patrol agent on horseback via Flickr]