Border Patrol agent shoots, kills migrant woman in Texas

A Border Patrol agent shot and killed a person who was in the country illegally Wednesday in Rio Bravo, Texas, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.

The agent, who was not identified, was investigating a report of unspecified illegal activity in Rio Bravo when he found a group of migrants who were in the country illegally, CBP officials said. The agent said the group attacked him, beating him with two-by-fours, The Los Angeles Times reported.

The officer fired at least one round from his service-issued firearm during the skirmish, hitting a female migrant in the head, according to the Times and authorities. Paramedics responded and officials attempted to administer first aid, but the woman died, according to CBP.

The woman was not identified. Officials said they apprehended three other migrants at the scene.

The FBI and Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting. Rio Bravo is near the U.S.-Mexico border, about 170 miles southwest of San Antonio.

Authorities have said that assaults on Border Patrol agents have been on the rise, particularly in the Rio Grande area, according to The Arizona Republic. Vice President Mike Pence said earlier this year at a Homeland Security event that "attacks on our Border Patrol agents had increased by 73 percent" in the 2017 fiscal year.

However, The Intercept reported last month that the spike in reported assaults appeared to have been caused by a change in the way authorities counted incidents. An analysis by CNN found that "Border Patrol agents lead far safer work lives on average than most other law enforcement officers."

“The border crossers an agent apprehends -- an average of two people per month in fiscal year 2016 -- are less likely to be violent than those drawing the attention of local police,” the news network reported.

Cox Media Group