The Washington Post reported Monday that Border Patrol agent Rogelio Martinez was killed Sunday due to blunt force trauma. “We believe he was struck in the head with rocks, or multiple rocks,” National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd told the paper.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials first reported Sunday that agent Martinez was killed in the line of duty in the CPB Big Bend Sector.
“Early this morning, agent Martinez and his Big Bend Sector partner were responding to activity while on patrol near Interstate 10, in the Van Horn Station area,” said Victor M. Velazquez, acting chief patrol agent, Big Bend Sector in a CBP statement Sunday. “Agent Martinez’s partner reported that they were both injured and in need of assistance. Responding agents provided immediate medical care, and transported both agents to a local hospital.”
Martinez later died, and his partner remained in the hospital in serious condition. Information remains sketchy, but CBP reports that the Border Patrol’s Special Operations Group continues to search the area for possible suspects or witnesses.
The Van Horn Station area is about 120 miles southeast of El Paso. The Big Bend Sector includes 77 Texas counties and the entire state of Oklahoma, covering more than 165,000 square miles, according to CBP. Included in the sector is a 510 mile stretch along the Rio Grande River separating Texas and Mexico—about one-fourth of the Southwest border.