One of the two Texas brothers who authorities say opened fire on a group of migrants near the U.S.-Mexico border, killing one and injuring another, had a history of abusing inmates.
The shooting happened in a rural area about 90 miles from El Paso. A woman was taken to a hospital in El Paso with a gunshot wound to her stomach.
The victims were among a group of migrants standing next to the road drinking water from a water source when a truck pulled over, according to the Department of Public Safety. The group took cover as the truck passed to avoid being detected, but the truck backed up. The driver shot at the group after exiting the vehicle.
According to court documents, witnesses from the group told federal agents that one of the two men in the vehicle yelled obscenities at them and then revved the engine.
The vehicle matching the description given by the migrants was located by authorities after checking cameras.
Mark and Michael Sheppard were charged with manslaughter. There were no attorneys listed in the court records. Attempts to get in touch with them or their representatives were unsuccessful since their arrest.
According to records, Michael Sheppard was the warden at the West Texas Detention Facility. A spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement told The Associated Press that there had been no ICE detainers at that facility since October.
Scott Sutterfield, a spokesman for LasalleCorrections, responded to an email asking if Sheppard had been fired. An off-duty incident unrelated to his employment led to the firing of the warden. The criminal investigation was cited as the reason for declining further comment.
Multiple allegations of physical and verbal abuse against African migrants were cited in a report by The University of Texas and Texas A&M. The report states that the warden was involved in three of the reports of verbal threats. The report did not name the person.
Lloyd Doggett, a Democrat from Texas, said in a press conference Saturday that Sheppard was the warden at the time the allegations were made. Sheppard has worked at West Texas since 2015, according to information provided by Doggett's office.
The Texas Democratic congressmen called on the federal government to investigate the shooting.
The dehumanization of people who seek refuge in this country, many of whom are people of color, is what contributes to the violence we see here.
The migrant told the lawyers that he was hit in the face at the nurse's station and that the medical officers didn't see anything.
Dalmar said that he was placed in solitary confinement where he was forced to lie face down on the floor with his hands handcuffed behind his back.
The Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties investigated the allegations and did not find evidence of excessive use of force.
Fatma Marouf is the director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic at Texas A&M and co-author of the report.
Current views on immigration enforcement have spiraled out of control, according to Marouf.
Marouf said that they don't see humans anymore.
More people from Venezuela were taken into custody at the U.S.- Mexico in August than in the previous month. In August, U.S. authorities stopped 203,598 migrants, up from 199,962 in July but down from 213,593 in August 2011.
Silky Shah, executive director of Detention Watch Network, said that the current rhetoric around immigration, including the use of terms like "invasion" by GOP leaders, is a problem.
There is a discourse that is stoking actions like this.
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The report was written by Associated Press writers.
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