Suspected illegal immigrant shot in convenience store after Border Patrol chase

Border Patrol agent shoots suspected immigrant

McALLEN, Texas — A Border Patrol agent shot a suspected illegal immigrant during an altercation in a South Texas convenience store Wednesday.

The agent, who was not identified, chased the man into the Kwik Pantry convenience store in Kingsville after he and other people ran from a vehicle the Border Patrol was pursuing around 8 a.m., said Border Patrol spokesman John Lopez.

Inside the store, the immigrant fought the agent’s attempts to detain him and wrestled away the agent’s collapsable baton. It was at that point that the agent, “fearing for his life,” shot the immigrant, Lopez said. The agent was unharmed.

The immigrant was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Corpus Christi, said Kingsville Fire Department Lt. Michael Luna. The man had been shot in the abdomen, Luna said.

Lopez said Wednesday afternoon that the man was out of surgery and recovering in the intensive care unit. He was listed as stable.

Border Patrol had spotted the vehicle being loaded with suspected illegal immigrants earlier Wednesday morning, Lopez said. The agent involved in the shooting found the vehicle later near the convenience store in Kingsville, about 40 miles southwest of Corpus Christi.

The agent remains on duty and the Kingsville Police Department is investigating the shooting with the support of the FBI, Lopez said.