(ProsperNews.net) – Bodycam footage of the fatal shooting of a tribal man in Arizona has been released. Border Patrol agents shot and killed 58-year-old Raymond Mattia in the Menagers Dam Village of the Tohono O’odham Nation near the southern border on May 18. Officers responded to a 911 call saying shots were fired in the area.
The footage shows Mr. Mattia appearing from a small building and throwing an object later identified as a machete. Officers, believing he was armed, called for him to remove his hands from his pockets, but the command does not appear to have been obeyed. Agents opened fire and Mattia was declared dead at the scene.
The Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agency released a statement saying its officers had used justified force, given that they were called to the scene following a report of gunfire. Frank Figliuzzi, a San Francisco-based supervisor of the FBI, said the shooting looked justified, even if officers wrongly believed Mr. Mattia was armed. “Two things can be true at the same time,” Figliuzzi said. “A shooting can be justified and a mistake.”
Family members of the dead man say he had reported illegal migrants on his property and believed the CBP agents arrived at his home in response to those calls. The family furthermore maintains that the shooting was unjustified and suggested that anyone can be killed by authorities simply because they believe a person is armed.
Mattia’s autopsy report was released to the media on Jun 23. He had been shot nine times in total and high levels of alcohol, methamphetamine, and oxycodone, were found in his system. The medical examiner listed the cause of death as gunshot wounds, while homicide was determined to be the manner of death. Emergency helicopter aid could not be administered at the time of the incident due to adverse weather.
The CBP officers involved in the incident were placed on paid leave while investigations are conducted.
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