"We want justice,'' said Esequiel Hernandez Sr., father of the slain man.
Note this quote below:
the incident adds to long-simmering resentment about the border interdiction.
Two sides to every story? Not to our friend Ron?
Texas Grand Jury Meets in Border Shooting Case
By DANE SCHILLER
© 1997 San Antonio Express-News
MARFA, Texas, July 30, 1997 -- A grand jury in southwest Texas began its investigation Wednesday into the death of a young goat herder, who was shot by a U.S. Marine on anti-drug patrol along the U.S-Mexico border.
The Presidio County grand jury met for more than seven hours and heard testimony from seven people before deciding to reconvene next month.
Jurors in the contentious case must decide whether to take action against Marine Cpl. Clemente Banuelos for the shooting death of Esequiel Hernandez Jr., 18. Hernandez was tending goats near his hometown of Redford, Texas, on May 20 when the shooting occurred.
The military staunchly defends Banuelos, saying the 22-year-old soldier fired his M-16 rifle in self-defense after Hernandez fired three shots from his rifle in the direction of the Marine patrol.
But family and friends of Hernandez say the young man was unaware the camouflaged patrol was in the area and was not warned by the Marines.
"We want justice,'' said Esequiel Hernandez Sr., father of the slain man.
Texas law enforcement authorities have raised questions about whether the shooting was justified.
Defense Secretary William Cohen ordered anti-drug patrols along the border suspended pending a review of the use of soldiers to assist in drug-interdiction efforts.
Albert Valadez, the district attorney for Presidio County, would not provide specifics about Wednesday's grand jury meeting. He said jurors were shown "lots of photos,'' given the results of laboratory tests and saw or heard audio and video recordings. He would not say what the tapes contained.
Banuelos' attorney, Jack Zimmerman, said he was encouraged by the proceedings, noting that the grand jury decided to return to court.
"If the district attorney had made up his mind that he wanted a murder indictment, there would have been one,'' Zimmermann said. "In my town, it's rumored the district attorney could indict a ham sandwich.'' (cont)
latinolink.com
Hernandez was a victim of an overzealous effort to bolster civilian border patrols with soldiers
In Tiny Texas Town, Calls for Justice in Border Shooting
By DANE SCHILLER
© 1997 San Antonio Express-News
REDFORD, Texas, July 30 -- Residents of this sun-baked village are hoping a grand jury will support their contention that a Marine unjustly killed a young man who was tending goats along the U.S.-Mexico border.
A grand jury was meeting today to consider whether to charge Marine Cpl. Clemente Banuelos in the May 20 shooting death of Esequiel Hernandez Jr.
When the 12-member grand jury convenes at the Presidio County Courthouse in southwest Texas, Hernandez's friends and family plan to be outside.
"Most people want justice. They do believe he's guilty of murder,'' said Liz Saenz, who grew up here and is assistant principal at the elementary school in nearby Presidio.
The military contends the soldier fired his M-16 rifle in self-defense after Hernandez, 18, shot his rifle in the direction of the Marine patrol near Texas' Big Bend National Park.
But family and friends contend Hernandez was a victim of an overzealous effort to bolster civilian border patrols with soldiers. (cont)
latinolink.com
"Think about it a minute, come on wake up for just a few seconds! Why didn't the Marines call out to the boy to identify themselves? Why didn't they fire a warning shot? Why didn't they do a million things differently? These individuals are supposed to be professionals. This boy was killed with one shot. This Marine, likely a professional marksman, lined the innocent goat herder up in his sites, squeezed off just one round, and as simple and cold as that, a life was gone."
In the tiny Texas border town of Redford on the evening of May 20th, a young Spanish American boy attended his herd of goats. He carried with him an old .22 caliber rifle used to scare off wild dogs. He was unaware of the four camoflauged U.S. Marines hiding in the bushes nearby.
The Marines were on a surveillance mission during a military anti-narcotics operation along the border. Four professionals, with professional weapons and training, against a single, young goat herder.
The stories about what happened conflict. The fact is that Hernandez was killed with a single bullet from a military assault rifle. Marine Cpl. Clemente Banuelos, who shot 18-year-old Esequiel Hernandez, said he opened fire only because Hernandez had already fired at the group and was about to do so again. Civilian investigators had said that the evidence contradicted the Marines' version of events.
The dead boy's family said Esequiel was simply herding his goats, and that their son would never shoot at anyone. At least not intentionally --- four camoflauged Marines could appear to be wild dogs or wolves.
A grand jury heard the evidence this past Thursday, August 14th, and declined to indict the U.S. Marine on murder charges. Presidio County District Attorney Albert Valadez later announced that no charges would be filed against Marine Cpl. Clemente Banuelos. Does the decision reflect the fact that this was a simple, poor Spanish boy who lived in a tiny border town in a remote location of our union?
Think about it a minute, come on wake up for just a few seconds! Why didn't the Marines call out to the boy to identify themselves? Why didn't they fire a warning shot? Why didn't they do a million things differently? These individuals are supposed to be professionals. This boy was killed with one shot. This Marine, likely a professional marksman, lined the innocent goat herder up in his sites, squeezed off just one round, and as simple and cold as that, a life was gone.
And, why did the grand jury decline to indict the Marine? Would the decision have been different if the boy who was killed had been of white heritage and from a wealthier family? How will history record this event? The blood is on all of our hands. Yes, our American creed, the glue that binds us all, is based on the principle of We, the people. . . Each of us are part of this tragic event. We, the people, pulled that trigger. We, the people, took a young, innocent boy's life in cold blood on the night of May 20th.
unm.edu
<<Madrid, the Redford resident, said most of the 100 townsfolk are convinced the killing was not justifiable. He said the incident adds to long-simmering resentment about the border interdiction efforts of the military's Joint Task Force-6, based at El Paso's Fort Bliss.
"If those Marines had used common sense and come out of the bushes and asked anybody in town who this kid was, we would have told them, 'No, he's not a drug dealer. He's an 18-year-old kid. Leave him alone,' " Madrid said. "Instead of using common sense, they killed an innocent man." >>
chron.com
===============================================
NEWS FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY
2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 100
Washington DC 20037
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For release: August 19, 1997
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For additional information:
George Getz, Deputy Director of Communications
Phone: (202) 333-0008 Ext. 222
E-Mail: 76214.3676@CompuServe.com
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Bring Marine and FBI killers to justice, demands outraged Libertarian Party
WASHINGTON, DC -- It's now legal for Marines to use high-powered M-16 assault rifles to kill American high school students and for FBI sharpshooters to gun down mothers holding their infant daughters -- without worrying about any criminal penalties, the Libertarian Party charged today.
(cont)
lp.org |
