The attack comes as DHS reports that assaults on immigration enforcement officers are up by 500 percent.
A 27-year-old man armed with a rifle was killed on July 7 after he opened fire outside a Border Patrol facility in McAllen, Texas, prompting a shootout with federal agents and local police, authorities said.
The gunman, identified as Ryan Louis Mosqueda, arrived at the Border Patrol sector annex across from McAllen International Airport shortly after 5:50 a.m. and began firing dozens of rounds, McAllen police chief Victor Rodriguez said at a news conference. Federal agents returned fire, leading to Mosqueda’s death.
Rodriguez said authorities found a second rifle, additional ammunition, and backpacks that Mosqueda brought to the scene. Investigators also discovered writing inside Mosqueda’s white two-door sedan, possibly in Latin, though the significance remains unclear. On the outside of the car was spray painted “Cordis die”: Day of the heart.
“What it means, or whether or not it is an underlying reason for him being here, I do not know,” Rodriguez said. Mosqueda’s motive is still under investigation.
Before the shooting, Mosqueda was reported missing around 4 a.m. from an address in Weslaco, Texas, about 20 miles east of McAllen. Rodriguez said Mosqueda’s last known address was in Michigan, and his vehicle had Michigan license plates.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement that two officers and a Border Patrol employee were hurt, including one person who was shot in the knee. All were taken to a hospital for treatment.
“Both Border Patrol agents and local police helped neutralize the shooter,” the DHS said in a statement on social media. “This is an ongoing investigation led by the @FBI.”
Further details about who reported Mosqueda missing or the circumstances leading up to the shooting were not immediately available.
By Tom Ozimek
