Mother of man killed by Border Patrol continues fight for justice

Tucson, Arizona, Aug 12 (EFE).- The mother of Carlos Lamadrid said Monday that she will not rest until she obtains justice, despite the fact that federal prosecutors announced that they will not file charges against the Border Patrol agent who fatally shot her son, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen.

"This has been a very big blow, after two years of waiting, to receive this news," Guadalupe Guerrero told Efe in front of a mural dedicated to the memory of her son in Tucson.

Lamadrid's fatal encounter with the Border Patrol took place on March 21, 2011, as he and a companion were driving a Chevrolet Avalanche toward the Mexican border with Douglas, Arizona, police in pursuit.

Carlos had abandoned the vehicle and was trying to reach a ladder on the border fence when a Border Patrol agent shot him four times.

The young man later died of his wounds.

The Justice Department determined that there is insufficient evidence that Lamadrid's civil rights were violated.

Jesus Romo, one of the attorneys representing Guerrero, told Efe that now they have two options in proceeding with the case.

The first is to bring a civil suit against the federal government for negligence and excessive use of force by the Border Patrol.

On another front, Guerrero's lawyers will try to pressure the district attorney's office in Cochise County to have charges filed against the agent.

"From experience, we've seen that when a Border Patrol agent kills a person along the border, it's very difficult to get justice," Romo emphasized.

This opinion is shared by Isabel Garcia, an attorney and director of the Arizona Human Rights Coalition, who feels that the case is a prime example of the "impunity" with which the Border Patrol operates.

"The evidence exists, there is a video, it's in the medical examiner's report. What more do they want?" asked the activist, who noted that it was nearly 45 minutes after the shooting before Lamadrid received medical attention.