San Ysidro, CA–Authorities are investigating a shooting incident involving a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer and human smugglers last weekend at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
The use of force incident is currently being investigated by the San Diego Police Department and the Customs and Border Protection Office of Professional Responsibility.
On Sunday at around 9:33 p.m., a Ford SUV followed by a Mercedes sedan traveling together approached the primary inspection area at the San Ysidro Port of Entry from Mexico at a high rate of speed. A Customs and Border Protection officer conducting pre-primary inspections walking in a pre-primary lane fired approximately four rounds, striking the Mercedes sedan. The Mercedes sedan collided into the Ford SUV, which had come to an abrupt stop.
Both the Ford SUV and the Mercedes sedan contained a total of 18 undocumented migrants, who were all citizens of Russia. As a result of the collision, two of the occupants in the Mercedes sedan suffered minor head contusions; however, no injuries resulted from the gun fire.
The migrants in the first vehicle to cross the border included seven adults, ages 21 to 53 and five children, ranging from less than a year to age 5. In the second vehicle, four adults ages 24 to 43 and two children, ages 10 and 14.
The drivers of both vehicles, both men, ages 29 and 24, have been arrested by Customs and Border Protection officers. Multiple lanes at the San Ysidro Port of Entry were closed where the incident occurred. The lanes were re-opened at approximately 5:30 a.m. Monday morning.
At the same time as the use of force incident, a third vehicle also crossed the San Ysidro Port of Entry using a different lane and traveling with the flow of normal traffic. The vehicle, a black Dodge Durango, was transporting eight individuals who were also determined to be citizens of Russia with no documents to enter the United States. The group of eight individuals included five adults ages 20-34, one five-year-old, and one 17-year-old.
All incidents involving the use or attempted use of deadly force are reviewed by Customs and Border Protection’s National Use of Force Review Board. The review board will review the uses of force to assess whether the actions of Customs and Border Protection personnel involved in the incident complied with all relevant agency policies. The results of each review board are published on Customs and Border Protection’s public website.
