A man lost his life when a United States Border Patrol agent shot him during an incident that happened on the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 18 near San Diego, authorities reported.
According to information published by the AFP, quoted by the Miami Herald, the agent that fatally shot the undocumented immigrant claimed that the immigrant hit him in the face with a rock, according to a press release emitted by the United States Border Patrol.
The San Diego Sheriff's Department detailed on Wednesday that the agent involved in the incident, whose name was not revealed to the media, had tried to stop a group of suspicious people who allegedly were trying to illegally cross the border between Mexico and the United States.
According to the authorities' version, the deceased man began to throw rocks at the Border Patrol agent, which is why he, fearing he might lose his life or be incapacitated by the rocks, discharged his firearm at least twice.
After discharging his firearm, the agent attempted to reanimate the undocumented immigrant, who died on location. U.S. authorities said that the identity of the man who lost his life is unknown, while the agent was treated at a hospital for minor injuries and was later set free, according to ABC.
The incident took place in a remote mountainous area, four miles east of the border crossing in Otay Mesa, San Diego. Furthermore, the Border Patrol said on Tuesday that two more people were arrested when it was proved that they had no visa to legally enter the country.
The San Diego Federal Prosecutor said on Tuesday that the agent involved in the death of the undocumented immigrant would not face charges for the events that took place on Tuesday, according to the Miami Herald.
The incident on Tuesday happens during the intense debate on the use of lethal force by Border Patrol elements.