Customs officer fatally shoots motorist at border

Arizona Republic ^ | 13 Feb 2003 | AP

[JackelopeBreeder]

LUKEVILLE - A U.S. Customs inspector fatally shot a motorist Thursday who had apparently threatened him during an attempted inspection at a border crossing, a spokesman said.

The driver of the sports utility vehicle was crossing from Mexico into Arizona when he aroused suspicions that he might be smuggling something, said Customs spokesman Roger Maier.

[Zathras]

We got stopped in the desert 100 miles east of San Diego.
I thanked the border patrol for doing its job.

[Station 51]

I am surprised the Customs Officer did plant guns, drugs and money on the SUV driver to make him look guilty of at least something.

[FourPeas]

Note to self---In times like these never behave in a threating manner to an armed man wearing a badge.

Second note to self: If you treat others as you would want to be treated, your odds of survival increase greatly. This rule has been in effect for a few thousand years.

I've always loved the old adage: An armed society is a polite society.

[husky ed]

Nothing to see here, move along.

[RabidBartender]

"What if the driver was an illegal alien trying to smuggle in pot. Which way do you go then?<"

The sounds of heads exploding across the nation as a mental dilemna develops. I wonder if this thread will garner the same fervor as the WoD, Border Control, and anti-cop threads.

This is even more confusing than that Aronde/Tiki Barber Visa commercial with the girl saying: "It looks like him, but it could be him."

[Nov3]

Ha, this article puts the whacko's here in a quandary. Do they knee-jerk a spew about jack-booted thugs, or are they forced to acknowledge that the US actually did something to enforce the border?

Yeah some of us want to know what happened. The jackboots have no such quandry. To you the uppity civilians got what they deserved.

That being said this officer is not kicking in doors playing like a SEAL which he could have never been. He was a front line law enforcement officer who deserves the benefit of a doubt.

Jackboots, who dress up in black and wear face masks kicking in people's doors in the middle of the night, well I don't shed any tears for them. If they get off scot free when they shoot a young boy laying on the floor in the back well I just can't feel sorry for them when they wake some guy up in the middle of the night and he caps them.

REAL police wear REAL police uniforms, drive REAL police cars, and are respected by me and many others. Unfortunately SWAT teams replete with their military wannabee types who dress up like Nazi stormtroopers complete with face masks and a complete lack of accountability are ruining the moral authority of the real police.

[CWOJackson]

Darn, another potential libertarian voter bites the dust is what you're saying.

[CWOJackson]

Is there any doubt?

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Ha, this article puts the whacko's here in a quandary. Do they knee-jerk a spew about jack-booted thugs, or are they forced to acknowledge that the US actually did something to enforce the border?

I'll have to laugh my *ss off if it was another sui juris spouting lunatic with a "Free White Man" passport, pocket Constitution, and several pamphlets on the lost 13th amendment in his car.

[JackelopeBreeder]

A bit more from the Arizona Daily Star...still no real detail.

The Lukeville Port of Entry is expected to be closed well into Thursday afternoon as officials investigate a fatal shooting by a U.S. Customs Service inspector.

The incident began about 9 a.m., when a red Chevrolet Suburban with Arizona plates pulled up to an inspection booth at the U.S.-Mexico border crossing at Lukeville, about 180 miles west of Tucson, said customs spokesman Roger Maier.

The inspector became suspicious the vehicle was involved in drug smuggling, and the driver "impeded" the inspector's investigation, Maier said.

The confrontation escalated to a point that the inspector felt in danger for his life and fired a single shot at the driver, Maier said.

He could not say whether the threat was caused by the vehicle moving or some other action.

The vehicle traveled north about 85 yards, where it went off the road and the driver died. "The guy did stop initially, and then apparently he did try to leave," Maier said.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department is investigating the shooting.

Officials hadn’t determined as of late Thursday morning whether there was anything inside the vehicle.

[freeeee]

In an effort to counter the pathetic ramblings (of the usual suspects) on this thread, and because of the lack of details in the article, I pose the following questions:

Article: "The Customs inspector tried to inspect the vehicle but the driver interfered."

How did the man interfere? Did he use violence, and if so, what was the level of violence? Was it a push, a punch, or something else? Or was he merely uncooperative?

Atricle: "The driver then threatened the inspector, prompting the officer to fire a single shot, striking the man, Maier said."

How did he man threaten the inspector? Was his threat purely verbal? ("I'll kick your @@@!") Or was it a physical threat , such as reaching for a weapon?

Was the man armed? What weapons, if any were in his possession? Was he in control of his vehicle, attempting to use it as a weapon? If so, where was the inspector relative to the vehicle? Was he in its path?

Did this man, at any time pose a threat to the life or limb of the inspector or other people present?

Only when these questions, and many others, are answered will we be able to intelligently comment on this incident.

[Tacis]

Could be real trouble for the Customs Agent. If the deceased is a Mexican national, then Presidente Fox or his authorized drug lord on duty should have first been notified, no matter what the degree of threat to the US Customs Agent. We can't have US authorities treating Mexican criminals like they were criminals.

[Happy2BMe]

Preciate it, Jack.

Use of deadly force is authorized if at the discretion of the officer either his or other innocent lives are placed in danger.

Since we don't know if there were any immediate witnesses, and presuming this officer was seasoned and there NEVER had been such an incident at this location before, it is safe to say the officer used appropriate force.

Other questions:

Was the dirver a U.S. citizen?

Was the van stolen?

[Happy2BMe]

All conjecture aside, it IS a valid statement to say travelling to Mexico right now is DEFINITELY NOT SAFE.

What will this do to Mexican tourism?

[tracer]

Heinlein's Third Law: "Never Act So As To Be Mistaken For a Bag of $&!t"....

[Marine Inspector]

Just called Lukeville and spoke with a friend of mine.

Not much info at this time.

Apparently, the dead suspect was a prior Port Runner, which is a felony.

My friend, in his opinion, thinks the shooting was clean, but none of the INS were eyewitnesses.

[cksharks]

How much you wanna bet?

[Rifleman]

Well...I WISH it was the first thing to go.....:-))

[FreeTally]

I have to agree, freeeee.

[FreeTally]

Apparently, the dead suspect was a prior Port Runner, which is a felony.

What's a "Port Runner", and how could that possibly come into play here?