Illegal immigrants appeared to have “ambushed” two U.S. Border Patrol agents near the Texas border with Mexico and bashed their heads with blunt objects — possibly rocks — killing one agent and sending another to a hospital in serious condition Sunday, a National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) official told Fox News.
Rogelio Martinez, 36, was killed and another agent, who has not been identified, was injured while they were patrolling the Big Bend Sector, leading authorities to scour West Texas for the attackers, officials said. Although few details about the incident have been released, Brandon Judd, the president of the NBPC, told Fox News on Monday it appeared Martinez and the second agent were “ambushed” by a group of illegal immigrants.
He added: “There’s a high likelihood this was an assault on the agents.”
Rogelio Martinez, 36, was killed while patrolling the Big Bend Sector in Texas. (Facebook)
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has offered a reward of up to $20,000 “for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible” for the attack.
Martinez and his partner suffered traumatic injuries to the head and other injuries such as broken bones, FBI El paso said in a news release. Judd earlier told Fox News Martinez died of blunt force trauma to the head, indicating the attackers most likely used a rock or rocks during the assault on the two agents. The area surrounding where the attack occurred also indicated rocks were likely used as weapons. An FBI official also said that, counter to initial reports, neither agent was shot.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.