[ This is absolutely sickening.  Of course, you don't her anything about
this on MSM. -- Sean]

From: https://tinyurl.com/39877pej (theepochtimes.com)

===
 Tribe Demanding Answers, Justice for Member Shot 38 Times by US Border Patrol
                                     Agents

   Conflicting narratives paint different pictures of Tohono O'odham Nation
   member's death in Arizona

   Allan Stein
   Updated: May 29, 2023

   WHY, Ariz.-Yvonne Nevarez remembers her late uncle Raymond Mattia as a
   proud Tohono O'odham Nation member who always took a stand against
   injustice.

   He was a kind, respectful, peace-loving man, she said, making his shooting
   death by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents even harder to
   accept.

   "I'm angry. I can't believe it. I don't want to believe it. Our lives will
   never be the same," Nevarez said, struggling through tears.

   "He was like a dad to me. And now, he's gone."

   Family members say that on May 18, Mattia contacted tribal police to
   report illegal migrants trespassing on his property in Meneger's Dam
   Village, a remote southern border community of the Tohono O'odham Nation
   reservation about 52 miles from Ajo by car.

   During a brief encounter with CBP agents, family members say Mattia was
   shot approximately 38 times for reasons as yet unknown.

   "It was literally at his doorstep," Nevarez told The Epoch Times at a
   protest gathering near the Ajo Border Patrol Station in Why, Arizona, on
   May 27.

   Tribal members and supporters held another demonstration in Tucson on the
   same day.

   "We feel that how they took his life was unjust. There's no justification
   for it," Nevarez said.

   The family released a statement calling the shooting a "grievous" incident
   as "it is apparent what happened."

   "Raymond called for help and, in turn, was shot down on his doorstep.
   Raymond's rights were violated by the authorities whom we trust to protect
   our Nation. Improper and unprofessional actions of the agencies involved
   were witnessed by family members present near the crime scene.

   "Loved ones sat in agony, not knowing of Raymond's condition until they
   were told that he had passed away hours later. Raymond lay in front of his
   home for seven hours before a coroner from Tucson arrived.

   The statement added, "In our eyes and hearts, we believe Raymond was
   approached with excessive and deadly force that took his life. He was a
   father, brother, uncle, friend, and an involved community member. Raymond
   always fought for what was right, and he will continue to fight even after
   his death. This is not an isolated incident, but it should bring awareness
   of the oppression our people live through."

   The family has launched a GoFundMe page to raise $10,000 in legal defense
   fees.

   So far, the effort has garnered $2,954.

CBP Responds

   On May 22, CBP issued a statement detailing the events leading to Mattia's
   death.

   The statement said that at 9:04 p.m., the U.S. Border Patrol Tuscon Sector
   Tactical Operations Center notified the Ajo station that the Tohono
   O'odham Nation Police Department had requested assistance responding to a
   report of shots fired near Mattia's property.

   At least 10 CBP agents met with tribal police at the local recreation
   center to coordinate a joint response.

   At 9:32 p.m., a tribal police officer and several CBP agents arrived near
   Mattia's residence and "spread out while searching for the man."

   "The officer and agents encountered an individual approximately 103 meters
   (about 337 feet) northwest of their parked vehicles, outside a residence,
   at approximately 9:03 p.m."

   At that point, Mattia allegedly "threw an object" at the police officer as
   they approached.

   The object landed "a few feet" from the officer.

   "Shortly after the individual threw the object, he abruptly extended his
   right arm away from his body, and three agents fired their service
   weapons, striking the individual several times."

   "The individual fell to the ground, and the officer and agents slowly
   approached the man," according to the statement.

   The statement made no mention of whether Mattia was armed or whether
   warnings were given before he was shot down.

Resuscitation Efforts Fail

   Agents began administering CPR after they could not detect a pulse and
   requested emergency medical services.

   However, there was no air life evacuation available due to bad weather.
   The agents continued administering CPR without success.

   Mattia was pronounced dead at a Pima County hospital at 10:06 p.m. The
   medical examiner's office took custody of the body pending an autopsy on
   May 19, the statement added.

   The agents involved in the shooting will remain on administrative leave
   according to standard practice while authorities investigate the "use of
   deadly force."

   "All three agents who discharged their weapons and seven additional agents
   activated their body-worn cameras during the incident."

   The statement added the CBP is "committed to the expeditious release of
   the body-worn camera footage of this incident as soon as is appropriate to
   do so without impacting the ongoing law enforcement investigation."

   The Tohono O'odham Police Department and FBI are currently investigating.
   CBP said the agency's National Use of Force Review Board would review the
   incident following the investigation.

   Tohono O'odham police referred the matter to the department's public
   information officer Matt Smith, who did not return a phone call or text
   requesting comment from The Epoch Times.

   At the May 27 protest in Why, family spokeswoman Ofelia Rivas said tribal
   members have reported many negative encounters with an "aggressive" Border
   Patrol in the past.

   "This has been going on for quite a while," Rivas told The Epoch
   Times. "The Border Patrol claims to have supreme authority on the
   reservation."

   On her blog site, Bren Norrell, a journalist with Censored News, wrote
   that Mattia had voiced concerns about alleged Border Patrol collusion with
   Mexican drug cartels during an interview about a decade ago.

   "Raymond told me that he had evidence that U.S. Border Patrol agents in
   the area were working with the cartels and were involved in drug running,"
   Norrell wrote.

   "Mattia had video evidence that disappeared after he made an official
   report."

   Rivas corroborated Norrell's statement anecdotally, saying tribal
   community members reported observing many interactions between Border
   Patrol agents and cartel members on Tohono O'odham land.

   "Border Patrol would escort the cartel vehicles through the village to
   wherever they were going through the reservation. Everybody witnessed
   that. Everybody in the community witnessed that," she said.

   CBP spokesman Robert Daniel did not respond to an email requesting comment
   from The Epoch Times.

Untold Story

   Rivas said she believes "absolutely" that much about Mattia's fatal
   encounter with Border Patrol has yet to be explained.

   Like his family, she's awaiting the investigation results, including the
   body camera footage.

   "He's been a victim for everything he tried to advocate for the community
   because he is a ceremony person. There's retaliation-absolute retaliation
   from the Border Patrol, especially in the border area where you don't have
   any help."

   Michelle, a Tohono O'odham Nation member who works in Ajo, spoke of
   strained relations between the Tohono O'odham Nation and Border Patrol.

   "There's a lot of stuff that happens out there that's fishy with Border
   Patrol," Michelle told The Epoch Times.

   "I'm angered and saddened by [Mattia's death]. I mean, come on-38 shots at
   one person?"

   "From what I've seen with the Border Patrol, they're strict with our
   tribal members. Excuse my language; they're kind of [expletives] with us.
   Some of them are OK. They treat us with respect. Others, they don't."

   Michelle said illegal migrants trespassing on tribal land happens "all the
   time" and often goes unchallenged.

   "They have illegals coming into yards, trying to steal vehicles. They come
   and knock on doors asking for water, or they'll open the door and help
   themselves in."

   Michelle told The Epoch Times she knows some tribal members who receive
   money from the cartels helping usher illegals across the reservation.

   "It is a big problem," she said. "I would say tribal members-the young
   kids-get into it. They get paid [by drug cartels] to cross them over. They
   get pulled into that. They see the money-fast money. Even the older people
   are getting into it.

   "The cartels pay money. Some of them get pulled deep into it. If they make
   a mistake ... not good."

   Michelle said she couldn't see why Border Patrol agents had to shoot
   Mattia 38 times to subdue him.

   "For throwing a rock, it doesn't make sense," she said. "I can see 38
   shots if he had an Uzi or something. From what I've heard, he was very
   well-respected in the community. He helped people."

`Frustrating and Sad'

   "It's just like anything else in the world with police officers pulling
   their guns," said Wanda, a restaurant server in Ajo. "Out of the seven
   [agents], not one of them saw he did not have anything in his hand? It's
   frustrating-and it's sad."

   "Do we have a lot of that stuff happening here? No. Am I nervous about it?
   No. Everybody in Ajo knows the residents and the people who come and
   visit. It's almost like we watch out for each other.

   "It's upsetting. How much is a rock going to do? They're supposed to
   de-escalate situations, not escalate them," said another tribal member who
   did not want to be identified.

   According to CBP data, there have been two fatal shootings and a total of
   157 use-of-force incidents in the Tucson Sector in fiscal 2023 to date.

   In fiscal 2022, there were three use-of-force incidents involving firearms
   and 196 total incidents.

   Ariella Walker, a humanitarian advocate from Why, said her reason for
   attending the May 27 protest was to to show her support for the Mattias
   family.

   "It's just the [CBP] response we're focusing on," said Walker, who
   believes that CBP agents are "trained to dehumanize."

   "I don't think the [body camera] footage needs to be released for people
   to be outraged. Just the fact that it happened is enough," Walker told The
   Epoch Times.

   "We know we've seen cases with Border Patrol who have colluded with cartel
   members assisting in drug running."

   Walker said she fears the shooting incident will disappear in the news
   cycle.

   "We've already seen the pattern where something atrocious happens, there's
   an outrage. The family is hurt. The country sparks up in arms. Eventually,
   it's co-opted and dies slowly in the political system."

   "Hurt. Disgusted," is how Tina described her reaction to her first cousin
   Ray Mattia's death. "He was just an all-around great guy. He was a
   peaceful person," Tina said.

   "I believe a story is out there-I don't know what it is. The truth is out
   there."

   Niece Nevarez said Mattia's death has all the outward appearances of an
   "execution."

   "I feel like it could have turned out differently, but because it was
   Border Patrol ... none of it makes any sense," she said.
===

-- Sean
 
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