• Gunfire kills US agent in area where bandits prey
    49 replies, posted
[quote] A Border Patrol agent was shot and killed Tuesday night during a gunbattle with suspected bandits. Four people, including one who suffered gunshot wounds, were taken into custody. Authorities were searching for a fifth suspect Wednesday, said Rick Barlow, deputy chief in the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector. Agent Brian A. Terry, 40, was killed when he and fellow agents exchanged fire with a group of five people about 11 p.m. Tuesday in a remote area west of Rio Rico, said FBI spokeswoman Brenda Nath. Bandits were responsible for the killing, said agent Brandon Judd, president of the agents' union in Arizona, Local 2544. Bandits are criminals who try to rip off loads of drugs and people from smugglers. Terry and his fellow agents were members of the agency's SWAT team, known as Bortac. They were in the area where the shooting occurred because of the high levels of illegal activity involving armed bandits, Judd said. "It wasn't a surprise encounter," Judd said. "They knew what they were going into." Border Patrol officials declined to confirm Judd's account or discuss any of the details of the incident because it is an ongoing investigation. However, Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada said an encounter between the tactical unit and bandits is possible in the area. "The unit that was out there is a unit that specializes in those high-risk encounters," Estrada said. "And there has been bandit activity on and off there and it probably happens a lot more often than we know." The shooting occurred in a remote area about 10 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border near Forest Service Road 4197, west of Interstate 19, said Estrada. The area is frequently used by smugglers. "All these canyons in Santa Cruz County are notorious for smuggling humans and drugs," Estrada said. "Obviously, it is a very dangerous situation for anyone patrolling those remote areas, particularly for the Border Patrol. There is always that threat." His department was only serving in a support role, Estrada said. The FBI is handling the investigation. [B]Fifth suspect is hunted[/B] The manhunt for the fifth suspected bandit lasted much of the day and involved officers on horseback and in helicopters scanning the canyons and hills surrounding the area northwest of Nogales. Santa Cruz County sheriff's deputies found a man just before 2 p.m. on southbound Interstate 19 south of Rio Rico about 10 miles from the Mexico border that fit the description of the fifth suspect. He was turned over to the Border Patrol, but it didn't appear he was the man they were looking for. Bandits are the lowest of the low among criminals operating along the border, despised even by the smuggling organizations, Judd said. "This is the biggest scum that you are going to run up against," Judd said. Barlow, the Tucson Sector deputy chief, said the shooting serves as a stark reminder of the dangerous reality agents face daily. "There are people out there who wake up every day with nothing else on their mind but to do harm to the citizens of our country and our way of life," Barlow said. [B]A dedicated agent[/B] Terry was strong-willed, very focused and "lived to protect his country," said his older sister, Michelle Terry-Balogh, by phone from her home in south Detroit. Terry, who was born in Flat Rock, Mich., served three years in the U.S. Marine Corps and was honorably discharged in 1994. Afterward, he went to college and worked for two Michigan police departments before joining the Border Patrol in July 2007. He is survived by his parents, two sisters and one brother, Terry-Balogh said. He was not married and did not have any children. He was set to come to Michigan on Friday for his first Christmas at home in years. Instead, his body will be coming home in a casket, she said. "It has been devastating," she said. "It's more of a shock than anything. You just never think anything would happen to him." As a child, he was very accident prone, earning the nickname "Stitches." "Every time we turned around, Brian was getting stitches," she said. But he became a big, muscular, athletic man who stood 6-foot-4 and sometimes worked out two to three times a day. His athleticism and skills earned him a spot in the Border Patrol's SWAT team. "He was, by all accounts, an absolutely outstanding agent," Judd said. "He was everything you would want on this team." Terry was well-liked by colleagues, said Judd, who worked with him in the Border Patrol in Naco. His sister echoed that, saying he had friends everywhere. They are expecting at least 1,000 people at his funeral in Michigan, she said. Terry's goal was to become a Secret Service agent. He joined the Border Patrol to get in the door at the Department of Homeland Security and hoped to work his way up, Terry-Balogh said. The third of four children, he was the rock of the family, she said. "He always wanted for people to get along, no matter what was happening. He would always say, 'I've got your back,' " she said. "It's sad because he got shot in the back." [/quote][URL="http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/article_c6fe2e25-8813-502b-867a-c796638fcec0.html"] Three heres to put landmines on the fucking border already! [/URL]
[QUOTE=JoeSkylynx;26742872]Three heres to put landmines on the fucking border already! [/URL][/QUOTE] Wouldn't that be a breach of international law
Bandits? Really? Ah, well, if you excuse me, I gotta take the pony express over to Dodge City, it's about the new railroad plans.
[QUOTE=JoeSkylynx;26742872][URL="http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/article_c6fe2e25-8813-502b-867a-c796638fcec0.html"] Three heres to put landmines on the fucking border already! [/URL][/QUOTE] I'm sure this would cause a few problems for any migrating families. [editline]6:39PM[/editline] Or clumsy Border Patrol agents.
[QUOTE=Zeke129;26743030]Wouldn't that be a breach of international law[/QUOTE] Ottawa Convention (I believe that's what it's called?) was never ratified by the UN, and a great majority of world super powers said no too it.
[QUOTE=JoeSkylynx;26743096]Ottawa Convention (I believe that's what it's called?) was never ratified by the UN, and a great majority of world super powers said no too it.[/QUOTE] Someone looked it up for me, US and Somalia are the only two that didn't I think Alright, he was wrong. [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ottawa_Participation.svg]But here's an image of who signed and ratified it - look who the US is grouped with[/url]
[QUOTE=Zeke129;26743117]Someone looked it up for me, US and Somalia are the only two that didn't.[/QUOTE] No [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_parties_to_the_Ottawa_Treaty#Non-signatory_states[/url]
[QUOTE=Zeke129;26743117]Someone looked it up for me, US and Somalia are the only two that didn't.[/QUOTE] Well then it wouldn't be a breach of international law now would it?
[QUOTE=Explosions;26743152]Well then it wouldn't be a breach of international law now would it?[/QUOTE] to most nations, it would be but the US is once again ass backwards [editline]16th December 2010[/editline] lol look at this list: 13 countries continue to produce and trade landmines: Burma, China, Cuba, India, Iran, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, United States & Vietnam [url]http://www.un.org/works/Lesson_Plans/WGO/WGO_LP_LM.pdf[/url]
[QUOTE=JDK721;26743189]lol look at this list: 13 countries continue to produce and trade landmines: Burma, China, Cuba, India, Iran, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, United States & Vietnam [url]http://www.un.org/works/Lesson_Plans/WGO/WGO_LP_LM.pdf[/url][/QUOTE] cool
[QUOTE=Explosions;26743226]cool[/QUOTE] It's very cool how the US keeps showing up on lists for things like this alongside North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan.
[QUOTE=Zeke129;26743272]It's very cool how the US keeps showing up on lists for things like this alongside North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan.[/QUOTE] That's because all the best countries show up on those lists. Like Russia, which is known for it's stunning economic situation. And China, a shining beacon of human rights.
Why is this a discussion on land mines?
[QUOTE=Regulas021;26743343]Why is this a discussion on land mines?[/QUOTE] because the OP thinks it'd be a good idea to put landmines on the border
[QUOTE=JDK721;26743426]because the OP thinks it'd be a good idea to put landmines on the border[/QUOTE] Hold on... Won't that hurt people?
[QUOTE=Vinze;26743466]Hold on... Won't that hurt people?[/QUOTE] No, it'll just relieve their legs of unnecessary burden.
[QUOTE=Explosions;26743320]That's because all the best countries show up on those lists. Like Russia, which is known for it's stunning economic situation. And China, a shining beacon of human rights.[/QUOTE] And the US, a shining beacon of human rights.
[QUOTE=RichyZ;26743556]it will kill them DUH[/QUOTE] Aha! My hypothesis was right! I'm strongly against landmines, someone could get killed.
[QUOTE=JDK721;26743565]And the US, a shining beacon of human rights.[/QUOTE] Exactly! Now you see!
[QUOTE=Snuffy;26743075]I'm sure this would cause a few problems for any migrating families. [editline]6:39PM[/editline] Or clumsy Border Patrol agents.[/QUOTE] Because legitimate migrating families don't use the actual border crossings like they should be. If they step on the landmines, it means they're illegal anyway. Border Patrol would know where they buried the mines and no doubt label them on maps and GPS systems so they don't wonder into a kill zone.
[QUOTE=Zeke129;26743272]It's very cool how the US keeps showing up on lists for things like this alongside North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan.[/QUOTE] oh :(
I vote in favor of landmines, preferably bouncing betty's.
[QUOTE=CodeMonkey3;26743749]Because legitimate migrating families don't use the actual border crossings like they should be. If they step on the landmines, it means they're illegal anyway. Border Patrol would know where they buried the mines and no doubt label them on maps and GPS systems so they don't wonder into a kill zone.[/QUOTE] so illegally entering a country justifies murder?
The US stopped producing landmines in 1997, but they have a massive stockpile of them in storage.
[QUOTE=JDK721;26744183]so illegally entering a country justifies murder?[/QUOTE] well, it's kind of like an invasion, so it's more defensive action than murder, really
[QUOTE=Mabus;26744386]The US stopped producing landmines in 1997, but they have a massive stockpile of them in storage.[/QUOTE] Do you really think they just quit producing them?
[QUOTE=Zeke129;26743272]It's very cool how the US keeps showing up on lists for things like this alongside North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan.[/QUOTE] It's not like Europe will have any reason to use landmines anyway.
[QUOTE=JDK721;26743189]to most nations, it would be but the US is once again ass backwards [editline]16th December 2010[/editline] lol look at this list: 13 countries continue to produce and trade landmines: Burma, China, Cuba, India, Iran, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, United States & Vietnam [url]http://www.un.org/works/Lesson_Plans/WGO/WGO_LP_LM.pdf[/url][/QUOTE] Why would we sign that? We maintain minefields which divide North and South Korea. We'd gain little and put our South Korean allies at greater risk from the crazy that is Best Korea. While we retain old stockpiles, the only current conventional mine system which includes anti personnel mines is the GATOR mine system. Which we currently deploy sans the anti-personnel component anyways. These are generally deployed via aircraft and can quickly deny an enemy from advancing over a 1 kilometer distance in just a few seconds. The mines have a self-disarm system which has various time presets. If the disarm fails to stop the system, then the batteries will discharge over 40 days anyways, rendering the mines inert. Newer versions supposedly detect when their charge is low and self destruct anyways. Modern mines aren't the problem. It's the millions upon millions laid in the past century that have no killswitch. [editline]16th December 2010[/editline] [QUOTE=CodeMonkey3;26743749]Because legitimate migrating families don't use the actual border crossings like they should be. If they step on the landmines, it means they're illegal anyway. Border Patrol would know where they buried the mines and no doubt label them on maps and GPS systems so they don't wonder into a kill zone.[/QUOTE] Meh, they don't deserve to die or be maimed for simply wanting something better. If you really want such a system, then something which simply sends a radio message to the nearest border patrol substation when triggered would be best. At least nobody dies that way.
[QUOTE=JDK721;26743426]because the OP thinks it'd be a good idea to put landmines on the border[/QUOTE] because hurting bad people is bad right? we should use plenty of tax dollars to pay them back in society and give them things they need
Something has to be done about illegal immigration. Not with landmines though.
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