Footage released of Mexican teen who was shot by Border Patrol.
By Latrivia
@Latrivia (2878)
United States
June 10, 2010 6:03pm CST
First of all, I'm a tid bit upset with CNN at present. They released their own version of the video and DARKENED it at the key point where you find the kid throwing rocks and the border patrol agent shooting, then they have the gall to say the video casts doubt on the claim of self-defense. HuffPost released the Mexican news version and the CNN version on one of it's blogs, and there's another one on YouTube that's pretty much the same thing as the Mexican news version (except with annoying commentary from Russia Today). I can't tell if the time lapses are due to editing or the recording time running out. This is what's available, though, and if you find something better, please post it.
Source HuffPost: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/10/border-patrol-shooting-vi_n_608181.html
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgCIl7c7XpM (I suggest turning the sound off, since he recorded over the video's sound with the sound of his own voice.)
You'll see that the agent remained on the American side of the border throughout the incident (that we can see). He was pre-occupied by detaining someone while he was firing, and that someone was struggling persistently.
At 1:14 - 1:16 (in the Mexican news clip) it looks like the boy had turned around after running away to throw something at the border patrol agent. You can't see it in the CNN clip, but it would have shown at about :20 seconds. The video was shot too far away, and it's quality is too shoddy to really see anything flying. Maybe someone's eyes are better than mine, though. However, you do see the kid making motions as if he's throwing something.
If you can understand Spanish and understand what the people in the background of the video are saying, a translation would be welcome. I don't see anything in this video that disproves the claim of the border patrol agent that the shooting was accidental, and that the shots were an act of defense.
Now that only leaves me with the question of whether or not the Mexican Feds crossed the border and picked something up. That is one claim that the video has not shown us, so where did that 'anonymous' official come up with that - or are they refusing to release that to the public?
2 people like this
4 responses
@flyinghi (130)
• Canada
11 Jun 10
Thank you for the video link for this news cast. I hope that the border agent is cleared. It did appear as though there was something being thrown and someone saying that they are throwing rocks. I believe this was an act of self defense rather than an abuse of authority of any kind.
@dboman (457)
• United States
11 Jun 10
Now why would CNN black out one of the most important parts of the video? Hmmm...
It's clear that the agent remained on the US side. That's all I can get from this, the video is so low quality it's hard for me to tell what the kid was throwing, but it looks like there was something being thrown.
From what I hear, this kid is a known human smuggler and has been deported multiple times.
Thanks for the link to the videos.
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
11 Jun 10
The woman's voice you hear is saying "they are throwing rocks". I think that pretty much says that the guards were telling the truth about the rocks being thrown.
The FBI says they have video that shows the Mexican soldiers crossing over to pick something up. The Mexican government is saying that a bullet casing was found next to the boy's body, trying to indicate that the guard crossed over the border just to shoot him.
The teen who was shot was a known smuggler who smuggled people across the border.
