Texas Trooper Fires on Fleeing Truck, "Drug Load," Two Dead
by Phillip Smith, October 29, 2012, 04:26pm
A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper in a helicopter opened fire on a fleeing pick-up truck suspected of carrying a "drug load" Thursday, but the truck wasn't carrying drugs -- it was instead carrying undocumented immigrants from Guatemala, and two of them were killed in the shooting. Marco Antonio Castro and Jose Leonardo Coj Cumar become the 54th and 55th persons to die in US domestic drug law enforcement operations so far this year.
According to the San Antonio Express-News, Department of Public Safety (DPS) spokesman Tom Vinger said the incident began when Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens attempted to pull over the truck, which they thought was hauling drugs. When the driver refused to stop, the game wardens called DPS for help.
"During the pursuit, the vehicle appeared to have a typical 'covered' drug load in the bed of the truck," Vinger said. "DPS aircraft joined the pursuit of the suspected drug load, which was traveling at reckless speeds, endangering the public. A DPS trooper discharged his firearm from the helicopter to disable the vehicle."
The truck swerved, then came to halt after a tire was punctured. No drugs were found in it, but it was carrying nine Guatemalan nationals, one of whom was wounded by gunfire in addition to the two who were killed.
Guatemalan consul in McAllen, Texas, Alba Caceres said all the men had traveled together from the city of San Martin Jilotepeque in Chimaltenango, paying $2,000 each to get to the US-Mexico border and another $3,000 to be transported to the interior US. Most were headed to New Jersey. The group had crossed the Rio Grande River Thursday morning and walked six hours through the scrub before meeting up with the pick-up truck, Caceres said.
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise.
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What a sad sittuation this really is. To think that things could be so bad at home undocumented immigrants are willing to scrape together a total of $5000. dollars and risk there life to get here. There has to be a better way to enforce immigration laws.
-------------------- Wise men learn more from fools than fools from the wise.
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i've always liked that one. genrerally that menas two or more cops are ALSO traveling at reckless speeds, endangering the public....
but then to start just shooting? hmmm..... i have no doubt some drug dealers were nearby using a cargo van to ship the drugs thru as soon as they started chasing this truck....
[ November 01, 2012, 09:40: Message edited by: glassman ]
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