Former Border Patrol agent William Castano broke down on the stand as he recounted the firefight with vicious Mexican criminals that ended with the cold-blooded murder of Agent Brian Terry.
Castano became emotional in federal court in Tucson as he walked the jury through the night of Dec. 14, 2010, when he, Terry and two other agents were on a mission to arrest gangs known as rip crews that target marijuana smugglers.
The agents yelled “policia” after spotting the weapon-toting crew, Castano said. They later fired beanbag rounds from shotguns at the smugglers, and a gunfight ensued. Terry was hit in the back. Castano cut open Terry’s shirt to try to locate the wound, using a flashlight to guide him.
“I put my hand all over his body to see if I could feel blood,” he said.
Terry lost consciousness. Other agents arrived to help carry him down a hill, which was no easy task given his muscular, 215-pound frame, Castano said. Castano lost his composure while testifying.
The defense is attempting to show Border Patrol agents used unnecessary force on the night in question as part of a general overreaction by agents to provocations by illegal aliens.
Defense attorney Ramiro Flores was quick to point out that the agents deployed their beanbag shotguns first and three of the men ran away. “Someone triggered that firefight, and it wasn’t these individuals here,” Flores said of the defendants.
Flores said he would touch on the Border Patrol’s use-of-force policy during the trial. The agency has come under heavy criticism over allegations that agents too often use deadly force against immigrants, often in response to those who throw rocks.
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