Gunman receives deadly comeuppance during ambush on Border Patrol agents — just days after officer shot near ICE facility​



A gunman clad in tactical gear was shot dead after ambushing U.S. Border Patrol agents outside a federal annex facility in Texas — just days after a police officer was shot in the neck while responding to a suspicious person near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Alvarado, Texas.

The Department of Homeland Security said an armed man opened fire at the entrance of the U.S. Border Patrol sector annex in McAllen on Monday morning. The gunman was wearing tactical gear and wielding a rifle, according to Fox News.

'The Department has zero tolerance for assaults on federal officers or property and will bring the full weight of the law against those responsible.'

The suspect – identified by authorities as 27-year-old Ryan Luis Mosqueda – engaged in a deadly firefight with Border Patrol agents and local police.

McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez said at a news conference that Mosqueda was "loaded for bear" and that "another rifle and other assaultive weapons" were discovered in the suspect's vehicle.

Rodriguez noted that the suspect shot dozens of rounds of ammunition at law enforcement officers.

Two local police officers and one Border Patrol employee were injured in the firefight, and all three were transported to the hospital.

Rodriguez said an officer with the McAllen Police Department was struck in the knee, but the police chief added that the cop was in stable condition and would be "fine."

Meanwhile, Mosqueda was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents and local police officers.

RELATED: Republicans clash with Democratic lawmakers defending violent anti-ICE rioters

— (@)  
 

As far as a motive, Rodriguez said, "There is not enough known." However, he added, "When someone drives onto a parking lot and opens fire, there is some premeditation involved."

A local law enforcement official and a source familiar with the matter told CNN that the suspect's vehicle was spray-painted with the phrase “Cordis Die,” which is a main antagonist in the "Call of Duty" video game. Law enforcement noted that the vehicle had Michigan license plates and that Mosqueda was connected to an address in Michigan.

The FBI said it is leading the investigation.

An FBI spokesperson told Newsweek, "The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we will continue working with our local, state, and federal partners to ensure the safety of this community. Since this is still a developing incident, no further information will be shared at this time. Once there is additional information to publicly release, we will do so."

RELATED: Trump orders ICE to ramp up deportations in Dem-controlled cities following MAGA backlash over selective pause on raids

  

 

The National Border Patrol Council – the union that represents Border Patrol employees – stated, "We are thankful for the prayers for our agents and personnel. Targeted violence will not be tolerated and will be dealt with swiftly. Justice will be served. Our agents and law enforcement partners will not back down."

The White House said it is aware of the Border Patrol shooting and that it is "working with the appropriate federal agencies to get to the bottom of what happened."

When asked if Democrats need to "tone down their rhetoric" following Monday's attack on Border Patrol agents, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt replied, "We certainly call on Democrats to tone down their rhetoric against ICE and Border Patrol agents who are, again, everyday men and women."

Leavitt called on Democrats to meet with Border Patrol agents.

"These are honorable Americans who are just simply trying to do their job to enforce the law," Leavitt said during the press briefing. "They go home to their families every night just like we all do, and they deserve respect and dignity for trying to enforce our nation's immigration laws and to remove public safety threats from our communities."

RELATED: Illegal alien suspected of wielding weed whacker at ICE agents is called a 'father' and 'victim' by local outlet

 

  

 

Monday's shooting at the Border Patrol sector annex comes only days after a local police officer was shot in the neck near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Alvarado, Texas.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that officers with the Alvarado Police Department were responding to a call regarding a "suspicious person" near the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Prairieland Detention Facility around 10:56 p.m. on July 4.

Officers located the suspicious individual, who they said appeared to be carrying a firearm.

"As the first responding officer attempted to engage the person, multiple suspects opened fire on the officer," the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office stated.

The suspects fled the crime scene, but officers from the Alvarado Police Department, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, and neighboring agencies took several armed suspects into custody.

Police said an officer was struck in the neck and was flown to the Harris Methodist Hospital Ft. Worth. The officer was treated and released, according to the statement.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said the motives of the suspects are "unclear" at this time.

Blaze News requested a comment from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and the Alvarado Police Department but had not received a response by the time of publication.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting is urged to contact the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office at (817) 790-0910.

As Blaze News reported last month, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland, Oregon, had been attacked multiple times.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Saturday, "We are closely monitoring the attacks on DHS detention facilities in Prairieland, TX, and Portland, OR, and are coordinating with the USAOs and our law enforcement partners. The Department has zero tolerance for assaults on federal officers or property and will bring the full weight of the law against those responsible."

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated last week, "Our heroic ICE law enforcement officers are facing a nearly 700% increase in assaults against them. If you obstruct or assault our law enforcement, this administration will hunt you down and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

RELATED: Sheriffs in Democratic strongholds partner with ICE to back Trump's deportation surge

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Gunman firing rifle while walking along snowy Milwaukee street shoots cop; 2nd officer returns fire, killing suspect



A gunman who was firing a rifle while walking along a snow-covered Milwaukee street late Wednesday morning shot and seriously wounded a police officer who confronted him; a second officer returned fire, killing the suspect.

Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman told WITI-TV that officers were called to the area near 27th and Wisconsin around 11:50 a.m. about a male who was walking down a street firing shots. WTMJ-TV reported that the area is just west of Marquette University.

'There were multiple individuals out on the streets ... [who] could have been harmed by this particular individual.'

You can view a video report here about the incident; it includes a clip at the 38-second mark showing an individual walking down a street carrying a large gun. Milwaukee police call logs reportedly show multiple shots-fired reports from at least four blocks along Wisconsin Avenue.

Arriving officers located the male and ordered him to drop the gun, but Norman told WITI that the suspect refused and shot at officers. WITI noted that an officer returned fire, striking the male suspect, and the suspect died. A semi-automatic rifle was recovered at the scene, WITI said.

The 34-year-old male officer who was shot was taken to Froedtert Hospital with serious injuries, WITI said, adding the police noted he has over eight years of service. Sources told WTMJ he was shot twice — once in the torso and once in the leg.

The 37-year-old male officer who shot the suspect — and who also has more than eight years of service — was placed on administrative duty, a routine procedure, WITI said.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office on Thursday identified the fatally shot suspect as 24-year-old Isaiah W. Stott, WTMJ reported.

The Milwaukee Area Investigative Team is investigating the shooting, and the Oak Creek Police Department is the lead agency, WITI said.

The Milwaukee Police Association asked the community Wednesday afternoon to "pray for [the wounded officer's] recovery, as well as the other officers on the scene who witnessed this horrific incident and exhibited great courage and bravery," WISN-TV reported.

Norman at an outdoor news conference Wednesday decried the "absolutely unacceptable" actions of the gunman who brought "violence into our community." Norman also praised his officers who took action, as "there were multiple individuals out on the streets ... [who] could have been harmed by this particular individual."

You can view the news conference below; it took place prior to the suspect being identified:

 

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Virginia police officer shot to death on his 29th birthday



A Virginia police officer was shot to death on his 29th birthday while performing an early-morning welfare check. The suspected killer was later apprehended in another state.

Big Stone Gap Police officer Michael Chandler conducted a welfare check at a house in southwest Virginia around 4 a.m. on Saturday. The home was reportedly supposed to be abandoned, but he encountered "at least one individual" who shot Chandler.

A Wise County Sheriff's Office deputy arrived on the crime scene and found Chandler unconscious in a ditch along the driveway to the residence, officials said.

"His patrol car and another vehicle were both at the scene, but there was no other person at the scene," said Virginia State Patrol public information officer Corinne Geller, according to WTVR.

Chandler was airlifted to Johnson City Medical Center in Tennessee, where he died hours later on his 29th birthday.

"It is with a heavy heart that I must inform our community of the line of duty death of Officer Michael D. Chandler," Big Stone Gap police Chief Stephen Hamm said in a statement, according to WDBJ.

"His battle to survive today was truly miraculous. But, he succumbed to his injuries around 7:00 p.m. this evening at the hospital with his family at his side," Hamm continued. "Mike's loss will be felt by our town and across all of Wise County. Not only did he serve as an officer with the Town of Big Stone Gap Police Department, but also as a volunteer with the Big Stone Gap Fire Department."

"Please keep his family in your prayers tonight, as this should have been a day to celebrate his 29th birthday - not a day to mourn his passing," he concluded.

Following an "extensive" manhunt by local, state, and federal law enforcement, the suspect was apprehended 40 miles away. The Kingsport Police Department's Patrol Division, Criminal Investigations Division, and SWAT Team arrested a 33-year-old Big Stone Gap male around 8 p.m. on Saturday at a motel in Tennessee. The U.S. Marshals Service, FBI, Wise County Sheriff's Office, and Bristol, Virginia Police Department assisted in the apprehension of the suspected shooter.

The suspect was being held due to probation violations from South Carolina and Virginia.

Commonwealth Attorney Chuck Slemp said he expects "charges will be placed in the coming days."

 

Community members who knew Officer Michael Chandler are reacting to news of the shooting.\n\nChris Holcomb says Chandler was called to his residence in the same neighborhood just last week.\n\nMore \n\nhttps://www.wjhl.com/news/local/vsp-releases-details-regarding-big-stone-gap-officer-involved-shooting/\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/E2ZecRcMGA

— Amy Cockerham WJHL (@AmyWJHL) 1636865992 
 

Police investigate attempted murder of Maryland cop: Nearly 100 shots fired during Independence Day block party that preceded attack



The Wicomico County Sheriff's Office in Salisbury, Maryland, is conducting an investigation into the attempted murder of a police officer, according to WBOC-TV.

What are the details?

The incident took place early Monday morning when a suspect reportedly fired on an occupied patrol vehicle in Salisbury. Authorities said that a deputy inside the vehicle came under fire while responding to reports of shots being fired.

The station reported that the investigation of the incident revealed that a "large block party" celebrating Independence Day drew at least 200 attendees.

As the party progressed, authorities said an altercation broke out, prompting gunfire.

"An investigation of this scene revealed evidence that more than 100 shots were fired, although [authorities believe] most of them were celebratory for the holiday," the outlet reported.

Several homes and vehicles in the area were reportedly struck by gunfire, but there were no reports of injuries.

WBOC reported, "It is presumed the gunshot that impacted the marked patrol vehicle in the driver's door was fired out of a sedan that was leaving the area upon the deputy's arrival."

Additional officers responding to the scene recalled seeing a suspect fleeing from the area and attempted to stop the driver.

Officers attempted to catch the vehicle, but it turned off its lights, according to the station. Though the driver apparently intended to go incognito, officers were able to track the vehicle to an area 7-Eleven. Upon realizing they were caught, the suspects abandoned the vehicle and began running away. Deputies were able to detain two of three suspects.

In a statement on the attack, Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis said, "This deputy is an awesome deputy. He is a young deputy, very impressionable, less than a year on the job. He is a very valued member of our patrol force, and thank God he was not struck by gunfire."

The deputy was uninjured in the incident.

The two suspects initially taken into custody were released due to a lack of evidence.

Lewis added, "It pained us to cut them loose, but we recognized that we had insufficient evidence to charge them. With the collection of DNA and ballistic evidence at the scene, and the processing by the Maryland State Police Crime Lab, we are going to try to put the pieces of this puzzle together."

The investigation into the incident continues.

Authorities ask anyone with insight on the attack contact Crime Solvers at (410) 548-1776. Those with information could qualify for a cash reward.

Breaking: Two police officers shot during violent protests in Louisville over Breonna Taylor



The Louisville Metro Police Dept. said that two officers had been shot during the violent protests in Louisville, Kentucky, over the charges announced against one officer related to the death of Breonna Taylor.

Black Lives Matter protesters immediately denounced the announcement of charges against only one of the officers involved the controversial shooting death that happened during a police raid in March.

Police initially said that one officer had been shot but offered few details about the incident.

Per an @LMPD spokesman just now, an officer has been shot. https://t.co/nkIRABHIj0
— Ben Tobin (@Ben Tobin)1600907991.0

Later they confirmed that two officers had been shot.

Louisville Metro Police confirm that TWO officers have been shot and were transported to Louisville University Hospital.
— Charlie Gile (@Charlie Gile)1600909595.0

Protesters took to the streets to demonstrate against the grand jury decision. Reporters and others on social media documented small fires being set off and firecrackers being fired off during many of the gatherings.

Reporters in the vicinity said that firecrackers were set off at about the same time as the gunshots.

Here's more about the incident:

 Police officer shot in Louisville: Reportwww.youtube.com