The warden of a federal prison for immigrants detained in West Texas and his twin brother were arrested after allegedly shooting a group of illegal immigrants walking along a remote road Tuesday, killing one, according to authorities.
Shortly after his arrest for manslaughter, Michael Sheppard was fired from his position at the privately run West Texas Detention Center in the Sierra Blanca. San Antonio Express News reported on Thursday. A spokesperson for the newspaper said Sheppard had been “sacked due to an off-duty incident unrelated to his job”.
Sheppard’s brother, Mark Shepard, also faces a charge of premeditated murder after the alleged shooting in Hudspeth County, which borders Mexico.
A law enforcement source with knowledge of the incident said New York times Four migrants had stopped at a water tank near the Sierra Blanca when a pickup truck approached them. The group tried to hide behind the tank as two men got off the truck and approached it. The two men then fired at least two shots, survivors of the group told investigators.
A migrant was hit in the head and killed while a woman was hit in the stomach, according to a law enforcement official. The woman was reportedly taken to a hospital in Del Rio and her condition has since been stable.
With the help of US Border Patrol agents, the truck was traced by investigators to LaSalle Corrections, a small private prison company. It was recorded for Michael Shepard, according to Express News.
The Texas Rangers are leading an investigation into the incident with the help of the FBI, Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security, according to a Rangers spokesperson.
The agencies are also investigating a Hudspeth County shooting that occurred late Wednesday morning. A 26-year-old man, Eric Garibaldi, was arrested after two men arrested a state soldier along Highway 10. They had another man with a gunshot wound to the face, according to the British Guardian newspaper. El Paso Times.
It was not immediately clear on Thursday whether the two shootings were connected.
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