The Border Patrol is investigating an assault on one of its agents near Brownsville that originated on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande.
A Border Patrol spokesman said Wednesday afternoon that one its agents suffered a grazing wound to the back of his head after being shot by a bullet that was fired from Mexico.
Details are scant, but Border Patrol Spokesman Marcelino A. Medina said in a statement the agent was assigned to the Riverine Unit – a group of agents that patrol the river on boats.
“On Tuesday, December 26, 2017, a Border Patrol Agent assigned to the Riverine Unit sustained a non-life threatening injury from a small caliber weapon resulting from an assault originating from the Mexican Riverbank,” Medina said in a statement. “The incident is currently under investigation. More information will be provided as it becomes available.”
Medina said he couldn’t specify what time the assault occurred or in what vicinity near Brownsville the attack happened.
He did say Border Patrol would provide updates as the investigation continues.
The Riverine Unit patrols the Rio Grande on boats, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection “Frontline” magazine feature on the units. According to that feature, the Rio Grande Valley Sector, along with the Del Rio and Laredo sectors, is where most riverine patrol activity in the southwest occurs
