An autopsy determined a migrant died of multiple gunshot wounds following he was allegedly shot by Border Patrol personnel in southern Arizona over the weekend, authorities said Tuesday.
The Pima County Coroner’s Office confirmed the cause of death but said it will not have more information until the final review report is released. At the moment it is unknown when it might be.
Previously, the Cochise County Police Department reported that the shooting occurred on Saturday at 10 p.m. during an encounter between a Border Patrol agent and some migrants who were in the country illegally, in an area mountain regarding 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of the border town of Douglas. Agents apprehended multiple migrants at the same site near Skeleton Canyon.
County police have said Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility, which handles internal investigations, is involved in the probe.
Use-of-force issues are among the many challenges facing new Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Chris Magnus, who was sworn in earlier this year following serving as Tucson’s police chief.
Border Patrol agents have been involved in a growing number of use-of-force incidents in recent years. During the last 28 months of Donald Trump’s presidency, CBP recorded a monthly average of 50 use-of-force incidents. Under President Joe Biden, incidents have increased by 20% to a monthly average of 70.
More deaths involving Border Patrol agents have also been recorded, though the number of encounters with migrants has increased at an even higher rate.
Nearly 60 Border Patrol encounters resulted in deaths in 2021, three times more than in 2019 and four times more than the annual average for the decade. Fatal car chases increased from two in 2019 to 23 in 2021.
On Tuesday, the county police added that the necropsy of the migrant who died over the weekend had been completed and that the authorities are working on the identification process.
CBP has not commented on the shooting since posting an initial tweet reporting that officers were responding to a report of a seriously injured person.
The Mexican consulate working with county police officers to identify the migrant and notify his relatives. The Mexican consulate in Doulgas did not immediately respond to an email seeking information.
