A GUNMAN armed with an assault rifle has been killed after firing dozens of shots at a US Border Patrol building and its agents.
The ambush attack occurred at around 6 am on Monday outside the Border Patrol building near McAllen International Airport in Texas.
Authorities said the shooter, identified as Ryan Louis Mosqueda, 27, was killed after engaging in a shootout with federal agents and local police.
Mosqueda was reported missing from a location in Weslaco, Texas, at around 4 am, just hours before the shooting occurred.
McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez stated that about an hour later, the individual was present at that specific site, firing shots at a federal building and targeting federal agents.
Rodriguez said Mosqueda was carrying a backpack filled with more ammunition, authorities said.
The shooter’s last known address was in Michigan, Rodriguez said, adding that Mosqueda arrived in McAllen in a vehicle with Michigan license plates.
A motive for the shooting was not immediately disclosed.
Authorities uncovered additional firearms and ammunition in the suspect’s car, the police chief said.
Rodriguez said investigators found writing inside the suspect’s vehicle, which they believed to be in Latin.
A photo of Mosqueda’s white Chevy being towed away from the scene showed the words “Cordis Die’ written on the driver side doors.
It remains unknown if the writing is associated in any way with the shooting.
“I think I speak for everybody here, the world is much smaller than we think sometimes,” Rodriguez added.
“And it takes events like these to really wake you up and say, you know what we’re really, really tiny in terms of the world.
“The threats are always looming, they’re always present, and incidents like these make us realize that we’ve always got to be on guard.”
Rodriguez said the incident forced authorities to shut down vehicular traffic in and out of McAllen International Airport.
“We have no reason to believe at this point in time that there are any more threats in this area,” he said.
Rodriguez said no Border Patrol agents were injured.
However, a McAllen police officer, identified as Ismael Garcia, suffered an injury to his knee.
The FBI has taken the lead on the investigation.
HEIGHTENED ALERT
This violent event occurred shortly after the Department of Justice sent out a notice, indicating its close watch over assaults on Department of Homeland Security locations.
“We are vigilantly observing the assaults on DHS detention centers in Prairieland, TX, and Portland, OR, and are collaborating with the USAOs and our law enforcement allies,” the Justice Department mentioned in a social media update on Saturday.
“The Department has zero tolerance for assaults on federal officers or property and will bring the full weight of the law against those responsible.”
On the evening of July 4, several suspects were arrested in North Texas after a local police officer was shot in the neck following a shooting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Alvarado.
The injured officer was treated at Fort Worth hospital and later released, the Alvarado Police Department said.
At least eight people were arrested in connection with the shooting, according to CBS News.
