Border
FBI investigating Border Patrol's fatal shooting of tribal member
Before the shooting, Mattia had called Border Patrol because there were “multiple illegal immigrants who had trespassed into his yard and he wanted assistance getting them out of his property"
May 23, 2023 8:31am
Updated: May 23, 2023 8:31am
The FBI is investigating a fatal shooting involving U.S. Border Patrol agents and a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation in southern Arizona on May 18.
The shooting took place in the Menager's Dam community of the Tohono O’odham reservation, about a mile away from the U.S.-Mexico border at around 10 p.m. The victim, identified as Raymond Mattia, was two feet away from his front door when he was shot approximately 38 times by agents from the Ajo Border Patrol Station, according to a report.
Before the shooting, Mattia had called Border Patrol because there were “multiple illegal immigrants who had trespassed into his yard and he wanted assistance getting them out of his property," they told Tucson Tv Station KVOA.
According to Mattia’s family, the victim went outside when he saw the agents and was shot for an unknown reason, reported ABC News.
"I keep hearing the gunshots and I can't get over it...It's very sad just to know who they were shooting at you know," said a family member who asked not to be identified.
"They told us there was an estimated 38 shots fired at him. You know that's excessive and we want justice and we want to know what happened and why there were so many Border Patrol out there shooting at him," the family member said.
No additional information has been released because the incident remains under investigation.
The FBI and the Tohono O’odham Nation Police Department are investigating the shooting. The shooting is also under review by the CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility.
“Our hearts go out to his family and all those impacted during this difficult time," Tribal chairperson Ned Norris Jr. said in a statement. "As the investigation proceeds, the Nation expects full consideration of all related facts of the incident and an appropriate and expeditious response from relevant public safety agencies.”
Ajo Border Patrol Station is within the agency’s Tucson Sector, which has seen the highest number of incidents involving agents. So far in this fiscal year, there have been 158 reported use-of-force incidents, according to CBP data.
