Mexican Fatally Shot at “Point Blank Range” to the Head in Border Patrol Custody

An immigrant stands in a holding cell at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility for illegal immigrants on July 30, 2010 in Florence, Arizona. Photo by John Moore/Getty ImagesA Mexican citizen was fatally shot in the head at point blank range on Tuesday while being detained in a U.S. Border Patrol Station in Texas, according to information obtained by VICE World News.The man suffered from two gunshot wounds at the Ysleta Border Patrol Station in El Paso, according to documents seen by VICE World News and confirmed by another source who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. The victim was identified as Manuel González Morán, 33, of Ciudad Juarez. One bullet grazed his left arm without entering. The second entered his temple, according to information provided by Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso, where the man was pronounced dead, to U.S. officials investigating the killing.U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed that its agents were involved in the shooting. The agency didn’t respond to a request for comment about the new revelation that González was shot in the head. The FBI, which is leading an investigation into the killing, also declined to comment on the new information. In an email, an FBI spokesperson said the agency will send out an “investigative update” in the coming days. The Department of Justice didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. González was being held in a cell with 20 other migrants when a Border Patrol agent opened the door to process him, according to information provided to VICE World News. González ran to the office area, grabbed a pair of scissors and started threatening officials.“They intended to subdue him with an electric taser device, but failing to control him, they shot him at point blank range,” according to the documents seen by VICE World News.  It’s unclear how many Border Patrol agents were involved in shooting González and whether they have been suspended or disciplined. González’s family could not be reached for comment.  The killing raises troubling questions about the excessive use of force by Border Patrol agents and other officials who are tasked with processing the tens of thousands of migrants seeking to enter the U.S. Border Patrol agents are under growing pressure as they deal with unprecedented numbers of migrants crossing into the U.S. González was killed just days after two Mexican citizens were shot, one fatally, along the U.S.-Mexico border. Two twin brothers have been charged with manslaughter, including Michael Sheppard, the warden of a privately-operated ICE jail that houses migrants. He and his brother claimed they were out hunting and mistook the migrants for animals. They made no effort to see who they had shot before leaving the scene. Sheppard, who served as warden at the West Texas Detention Center in Sierra Blanca, Texas since 2015, was accused as far back as 2018 of “participating in and overseeing the sadistic abuse of African migrants and asylum-seekers,” according to The Intercept. The brothers were released on Monday after each posting a $250,000 bond.



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