BIG IRISH
10-21-2006, 05:10 AM
Ex Border Patrol Agents Sentenced in Case that Riled Conservatives
Senenced for shooting a fleeing drug smuggler
By Jim Forsyth
Thursday, October 19, 2006
A federal judge today sentenced two U. S. Border Patrol agents to lengthy prison terms in a case which has fired up conservative bloggers and talk show hosts and has been used to buttress the claim that the Bush Administration is not committed to border security.
Agent Ignacio Ramos was sentenced to eleven years in prison and Agent Jose Alonso Compean was sentenced to 12 years for shooting a Mexican marijuana smuggler who was attempting to bring a load of marijuana into the U.S. in February of 2005.
A federal jury in El Paso determined the pair shot the smuggler while he was unarmed and running away from them, attempting to cross the Rio Grande in an isolated portion of the Rio Grande near Fabens, Texas, east of El Paso.
Compean fired 14 rounds from his service pistol, Ramos fired one round. They the failed to report the shooting incident to supervisors, and attempted to collect and dispose of the shell casings and other evidence. The jury found the pair guilty of assault with serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, discharge of a firearm in a crime of violence, and in the conviction which has angered conservative advocates of tougher border control the most, violating the civil rights of the marijuana smuggler.
Both have been fired from the Border Patrol.
“Agents Compean and Ramos shot an unarmed, fleeing suspect in the back and lied about it,” U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton said. “When law enforcement agents use their badge as a shield for carrying out crimes and then engage in a cover up, we cannot look the other way.”
Ramos has been a frequent guest on conservative radio talk shows in which he said he was carrying out his duty to stop narcotics smuggling into the U.S. and feels he and his companion have been abandoned by the Bush Administration.
U.S. Border Patrol Inspector General Richard Skinner, who’s office investigated the incident, praised the U.S. Attorney’s office for winning convictions against the pair.
“In being given the lawful authority to use deadly force when warranted, these agents were bestowed with the highest level of trust,” he said. “In committing the acts for which they were sentenced, these two agents have betrayed the trust placed in them by the public.”
http://radio.woai.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=119078&article=1490435
I know I'm going to get flamed but can we get these guy's off on appeal.
Senenced for shooting a fleeing drug smuggler
By Jim Forsyth
Thursday, October 19, 2006
A federal judge today sentenced two U. S. Border Patrol agents to lengthy prison terms in a case which has fired up conservative bloggers and talk show hosts and has been used to buttress the claim that the Bush Administration is not committed to border security.
Agent Ignacio Ramos was sentenced to eleven years in prison and Agent Jose Alonso Compean was sentenced to 12 years for shooting a Mexican marijuana smuggler who was attempting to bring a load of marijuana into the U.S. in February of 2005.
A federal jury in El Paso determined the pair shot the smuggler while he was unarmed and running away from them, attempting to cross the Rio Grande in an isolated portion of the Rio Grande near Fabens, Texas, east of El Paso.
Compean fired 14 rounds from his service pistol, Ramos fired one round. They the failed to report the shooting incident to supervisors, and attempted to collect and dispose of the shell casings and other evidence. The jury found the pair guilty of assault with serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, discharge of a firearm in a crime of violence, and in the conviction which has angered conservative advocates of tougher border control the most, violating the civil rights of the marijuana smuggler.
Both have been fired from the Border Patrol.
“Agents Compean and Ramos shot an unarmed, fleeing suspect in the back and lied about it,” U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton said. “When law enforcement agents use their badge as a shield for carrying out crimes and then engage in a cover up, we cannot look the other way.”
Ramos has been a frequent guest on conservative radio talk shows in which he said he was carrying out his duty to stop narcotics smuggling into the U.S. and feels he and his companion have been abandoned by the Bush Administration.
U.S. Border Patrol Inspector General Richard Skinner, who’s office investigated the incident, praised the U.S. Attorney’s office for winning convictions against the pair.
“In being given the lawful authority to use deadly force when warranted, these agents were bestowed with the highest level of trust,” he said. “In committing the acts for which they were sentenced, these two agents have betrayed the trust placed in them by the public.”
http://radio.woai.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=119078&article=1490435
I know I'm going to get flamed but can we get these guy's off on appeal.