U.S. Border Patrol agent shot to death - fuller story

http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20090727_mexico_security_memo_july_27_2009

U.S. Border Patrol agent shot to death

U.S. Border Patrol agent Robert Rosas died late July 23 near Campo, Calif., when he was shot multiple times while pursuing several suspects in a rural area by himself. He was found with gunshot wounds in the head and abdomen and with some of his equipment missing. Blood traces from someone other than Rosas reportedly were found at the scene with Rosas' body, leading investigators to suspect that at least one of his assailants had been wounded, perhaps by gunfire.

Later, on July 24, authorities in the nearby Mexican town of Tecate, Baja California state, detained a suspected alien smuggler, who they said was in possession of a pistol issued by the U.S. Border Patrol. Four other suspected members of the smuggling organization were arrested the following day, though Mexican officials have not stated how they might have been involved with Rosas' death.

Based on the information currently available, it appears that Rosas was killed when the alien smuggling suspects he was chasing fired at him, perhaps at close range or during a struggle. This case is a reminder of the potential for Mexican organized crime-related violence on the U.S. side of the border, as well as the specific threat to law enforcement in the United States. STRATFOR has mentioned before that members of Mexican organized crime groups have demonstrated a willingness to engage police in the United States.

Although Rosas' murder was the first shooting death of a Border Patrol agent since 1998 and it is concerning from an officer-safety perspective, his death does not appear to mark a new or elevated threat to law enforcement in the United States. For example, there is no indication that his death was a planned or targeted killing, or that his attackers were armed with the powerful military ordnance characteristic of the violent nature of Mexican drug traffickers and other criminals. To be sure, an officer being shot while pursuing armed suspects is always tragic and a clear reflection of Mexican smugglers' willingness to use violence against police if threatened. But it is still a far cry from a criminal organization in Mexico regularly ordering and carrying out targeted assassinations of police officers in the United States -- something the cartels do daily in Mexico. In the meantime, such deaths in the United States can be considered almost inevitable, especially considering that authorities report nearly 50 Border Patrol agents were fired on during 2008.