Border Patrol agent fires at armed militia member near Brownsville

Article author: 
Christopher Sherman
Article publisher: 
The Monitor
Article date: 
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Article category: 
National Issues
Medium
Article Body: 

McALLEN (AP) — A Border Patrol agent pursuing a group of immigrants in a wooded area near the Texas-Mexico border on Friday fired several shots at an armed man who later identified himself as a militia member.

Border Patrol spokesman Omar Zamora said agents had been chasing a group of immigrants east of Brownsville Friday afternoon when an agent saw a man holding a gun near the Rio Grande. The agent fired four shots, but did not hit the man. The man then dropped his gun and identified himself as a member of a militia. Zamora said no other details were immediately available.

... the incident occurred on private property and it appeared the man had permission to be there. He was not arrested, Lucio said.

The man,... was wearing camouflage and carrying a long arm that was either a rifle or shotgun, Lucio said....

An unknown number of militia members have come to the Texas border following a surge in illegal immigration this summer.

..."We really don't need the militia here."...

"It just creates a problem from my point of view, because we don't know who they are," Lucio said.