West Texas rancher shoots 2 men he alleges were trespassing, transports them to fire station
“We Were Only Shot Because We Are Hispanic”
The Texas Rangers are assisting Hudspeth County Sheriff’s deputies in the investigation into a shooting Wednesday in which a Hudspeth County rancher wounded two alleged trespassers and then drove them to get help at a Fabens fire station.
The shooting occurred in Hudspeth County, where Sheriff Arvin West last year advised farmers to “arm yourselves” because of fear of violence spilling across the border.
El Paso County sheriff’s officials said the rancher, whose identity has not been released, alleged the two men were trespassing on his land when he shot them.
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Residents of the farming towns and desert communities east of El Paso have expressed fears about bloodshed across the Rio Grande in the Valley of Juárez.
The Valley of Juárez is a traditional smuggling hot spot that is disputed territory in a war between the Sinaloa and Juárez drug cartels.
The torching of homes, decapitations (two severed heads were left atop a wall on Tuesday in the village of Guadalupe) and disappearances are common in the valley of farming villages and towns east of Juárez.
During a town-hall meeting a year ago, Hudspeth County Sheriff West advised farmers in his county to “arm yourselves” for protection because of the danger across the border.
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The rancher still has not been identified, but one of the victims has been interviewed on TV.
NewsChannel 9 EXCLUSIVE: Man Shot in Hudspeth County Speaks
Go to the link and watch the video.
“I thought we were going to die. I thought that there was no way we were ever going to get out of there. My dad jumped on me to save me, he saved my life, by jumping on top of me and taking those last two shots into his back,” Velez said.