By Jonathan Clark, Manuel C. Coppola and Terry Ketron
Authorities combed the rugged terrain west of Rio Rico on Wednesday, searching for a fugitive suspect in the deadly shooting of a Border Patrol agent near Rio Rico.
Four suspects were detained immediately after Agent Brian A. Terry, 40, was shot late Tuesday in the Peck Canyon area. But a fifth eluded capture and was last seen heading south on foot in blue pants and a blue-and-white-striped shirt.
Police radio chatter early Wednesday afternoon noted a possible sighting of the suspect on the west slope of Atascosa Peak. Shortly after the radio report, the Nogales International witnessed a Department of Homeland Security Blackhawk helicopter circling over the peak, approximately 15 miles northwest of Nogales.
Earlier that day, ranchers along Ruby Road said they were advised by the Border Patrol that the suspect might be headed in their direction as he tried to make his way toward the U.S.-Mexico border. Law enforcement vehicles from federal, state and local agencies were seen streaming up and down the road throughout the day.
At one point Wednesday afternoon, police stopped a man near Kilometer 9 on Interstate 19 who matched the fugutive's description, according to a police radio report. But a local law enforcment source said later that the man checked out OK.
Shootout with bandits
Sheriff Antonio Estrada said his office first received a call for assistance shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday night.
“Border Patrol called our dispatch, reporting shots fired and requesting emergency medical services to meet with them at Peck Canyon and Circulo Sombrero,” Estrada said.
The shooting happened near Forest Service Road 4197, he said.
Terry was airlifted to a Tucson hospital, where he was pronounced dead early Wednesday.
Representatives of the Border Patrol agents’ union said Terry and three other agents were waiting for suspected border bandits when the shooting began. No other agents were injured, but one of the suspected bandits was reportedly wounded.
Estrada said the FBI had taken over the investigation, and the four suspects who had been detained were not being held at the county jail.
He said Terry was the first Border Patrol agent killed in Santa Cruz County since 1998.
Dangerous duty
Terry was based out the Border Patrol’s Naco Station and was working with one of the agency’s BORTAC teams at the time of his death, said Brandon Judd, president of the Local 2544 agents’ union.
BORTAC units are SWAT-type teams that respond to some of the Border Patrol’s most dangerous situations, Judd said.
“They specialize in activity such as what they encountered last night, that’s what they’re there for,” he told the NI. “Any time an agent encounters a known suspect that has weapons, we call BORTAC.”
The area in and around Peck Canyon has been plagued in recent years by border bandits, with Border Patrol agents, hunters, rancher and illegal immigrants regularly reporting encounters – sometimes violent – with armed men. It’s no coincidence that Terry was working in the area, Judd said.
“Anywhere that we know that bandit activity is taking place, that’s where BORTAC goes,” he said. “If BORTAC’s out there patrolling that area, it’s a bad area."
At one point Wednesday afternoon, police stopped a man near Kilometer 9 on Interstate 19 who matched the fugutive's description, according to a police radio report. But a local law enforcment source said later that the man checked out OK.
Shootout with bandits
Sheriff Antonio Estrada said his office first received a call for assistance shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday night.
“Border Patrol called our dispatch, reporting shots fired and requesting emergency medical services to meet with them at Peck Canyon and Circulo Sombrero,” Estrada said.
The shooting happened near Forest Service Road 4197, he said.
Terry was airlifted to a Tucson hospital, where he was pronounced dead early Wednesday.
Representatives of the Border Patrol agents’ union said Terry and three other agents were waiting for suspected border bandits when the shooting began. No other agents were injured, but one of the suspected bandits was reportedly wounded.
Estrada said the FBI had taken over the investigation, and the four suspects who had been detained were not being held at the county jail.
He said Terry was the first Border Patrol agent killed in Santa Cruz County since 1998.
Dangerous duty
Terry was based out the Border Patrol’s Naco Station and was working with one of the agency’s BORTAC teams at the time of his death, said Brandon Judd, president of the Local 2544 agents’ union.
BORTAC units are SWAT-type teams that respond to some of the Border Patrol’s most dangerous situations, Judd said.
“They specialize in activity such as what they encountered last night, that’s what they’re there for,” he told the NI. “Any time an agent encounters a known suspect that has weapons, we call BORTAC.”
The area in and around Peck Canyon has been plagued in recent years by border bandits, with Border Patrol agents, hunters, rancher and illegal immigrants regularly reporting encounters – sometimes violent – with armed men. It’s no coincidence that Terry was working in the area, Judd said.
“Anywhere that we know that bandit activity is taking place, that’s where BORTAC goes,” he said. “If BORTAC’s out there patrolling that area, it’s a bad area."
Copyright © 2010 Nogales International
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