Border Patrol Agent Shot Honduran in Arm When Agent was Assaulted During Apprehension: CBP

EAGLE PASS, TX — Customs and Border Protection said the man who was shot by a U.S. Border Patrol Agent Sunday morning near Eagle Pass was an illegal alien from Honduras.

According to the CBP, the Border Patrol Agent was attempting to apprehend the Honduran man near the Rio Grande, the river that separates the U.S. and Mexico there, at around 9:55 a.m. Sunday morning. The man, 48, assaulted the agent, CBP said. The illegal alien was shot and injured by the Border Patrol Agent with his service-issued weapon during the altercation.

The Honduran was transported to a San Antonio area hospital where he was treated for a gunshot wound in the arm. The suspect was released later Sunday afternoon and transported back to the U.S. Border Patrol’s Eagle Pass Sector Station where deportation procedures have begun. The Honduran Consulate has been notified, CBP said.

The Border Patrol Agent was unharmed during the incident. However, in accordance with CBP guidelines, the agent was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation of the incident. The FBI, the DHS Office of Inspector General and CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility are investigating.

Eagle Pass is a city on the Texas-Mexico Border between Del Rio and Laredo. The City of Piedras Negras, Coahuila sits across the border from Eagle Pass.