CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota wondered on Wednesday if the two border patrol agents who suffered blunt force trauma to the head, resulting in one death, could have sustained their injuries from “a fall.”
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Federal border agent Rogelio Martinez, 36, died while on patrol Sunday morning, but the exact circumstances of his death remain murky. A spokesperson for the National Border Patrol Council, Martinez’s union, believes that Martinez could have been bludgeoned to death with rocks.
The union says Martinez was responding to foot traffic that set off motion sensors when he came across a group of people, reports ABC News. Martinez called for backup, but his partner found him unconscious with severe head trauma and broken bones. The partner also called for backup, but he too was found with severe injuries and is still in serious condition.
When discussing the case with Republican Rep. Dan Donovan, Camerota wondered if the two men could have just fallen.
“It seems that there were no shots fired, that it was blunt force trauma,” Donovan said of the incident.
“Could it have been from a fall?” Camerota asked.
“You know, that’s up to the medial examiner to determine,” Donovan responded. “But one gentleman was killed and one was severely injured, it just shows you how dangerous the border is.”
Camerota continued to press, asking, “do you have any more questions about exactly what happened there?”
“There’s a lot of questions I want answered, but there could be information that the FBI has already that hasn’t become public yet,” Donovan said.
“There’s no way he fell,” the union spokesman said of Martinez. “Border Patrol agents are like mountain goats. They don’t fall. Especially two at the same spot.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has referred to the incident as an “attack” and is offering a $20,000 reward for information. The FBI did say they were exploring all possible explanations for what happened, but as of right now, they are treating it as an assault on a federal agent.