FBI investigating shooting death of Native man by border patrol in Arizona
The FBI and Tohono O’odham Nation police are investigating the fatal shooting of a tribal member by US border patrol agents in southern Arizona.
Federal Customs and Border Protection officials said agents from the Ajo border patrol station “were involved” in a fatal shooting on the Tohono O’odham reservation near Ajo at about 10pm on Thursday. They haven’t released any additional information other than to say the encounter was under review by Customs and Border Protection’s office of professional responsibility, which investigates fatal shootings carried out by agents, among other cases.
Tribal chairman Ned Norris Jr said in a statement on Sunday that the shooting occurred in the Meneger’s Dam community of the Tohono O’odham Nation and identified the victim. “Nation member Raymond Mattia lost his life in the incident,” Norris said. “Our hearts go out to his family and all those [affected] during this difficult time.
“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. Because the investigation is ongoing, we will refrain from making further comment at this time.”
Tucson TV station KVOA reported that Mattia had called the border patrol because there were multiple migrants who had trespassed into his yard, and he wanted assistance getting them off of his property.
Meneger’s Dam is only a few miles from the US-Mexico border, where Covid-19 asylum limits known as Title 42 expired less than a week before the shooting. A rush to the border before Title 42 expired and new, arguably tougher immigration policies took effect brought extraordinary pressure on areas along boundaries separating the two counties.
According to KVOA, Mattia’s family told them that he went outside when he saw the agents, and for an unknown reason they apparently shot him.