Agent-involved Fatal Shooting in Campo, California

On May 14, 2021, at approximately 10:15 PM, a Border Patrol agent assigned to the El Cajon Station attempted to stop a vehicle suspected of being involved in migrant smuggling in Campo, California. The driver of the vehicle failed to yield, and after a brief pursuit, the vehicle stopped in a gas station parking lot at the intersection of State Route 94 and Buckman Springs Road in Campo. A confrontation ensued resulting in three Border Patrol agents discharging their firearms. The male driver of the vehicle was struck, and agents immediately requested Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The driver was subsequently transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. He has not been positively identified at this time. The other two occupants of the vehicle, who were both citizens of Mexico, were uninjured and are in U.S. Border Patrol custody.  No Border Patrol agents were injured during the incident. 

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, and CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility (CBP OPR) all responded to the scene.  This incident is under investigation by the Sheriff’s Department and under review by the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office, the FBI and CBP OPR.