Sunday, January 28, 2007
The other side of the Compean and Ramos story
From the National Border Patrol Council. Here are some excerpts...
"Myth": The agents were just doing their jobs (rebuttal to Johnny Suttons claim it was a myth they were doing their jobs)
FACT: Both agent Compean and Ramos testified that the drug smuggler turned and pointed a weapon at them while he was running away. The wound channel created by the bullet that struck the drug smuggler corroborates their version of the events. According to the affidavit of the Office of Inspector General investigator who accompanied the drug smuggler to William Beaumont Army Medical Center for treatment, the Army doctor who removed the bullet fragment from the drug smuggler "advised that the bullet entered the lower left buttocks of the victim and passed through his pelvic triangle and lodged in his right thigh". At the trial, the Army doctor testified that the drug smuggler's body was "bladed" away from the bullet that struck him, consistent with the motion of a left-handed person running away while pointing backward, causing the body to twist. There is only one logical object that he would have been pointing at them under these circumstances - a firearm.
As noted previously, none of the agents on the north side of the irrigation canal could have possibly seen what transpired on the other side of the levee access road, even if they climbed on top of one of the vehicles. It is also worth noting that Agent Juarez, along with two other Border Patrol agents, was granted immunity by the Department of Justice in exchange for his testimony. Since he was not involved in the incident, one has to wonder why he would need immunity, and what effect that had on the truthfulness of his testimony.
"Myth": The government let a drug smuggler go free (according to Sutton this is a myth)
FACT: The US Attoerney's Office and Office of Inspector General had no trouble identifying Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila as the driver of the van loaded with 743 pounds of marijuana and tracking him down in Mexico. Since the drug smuggler obviously made frequent trips to the United States, it would have been a simple matter to issue a warrant for his arrest, and wait for law enforcement authorities to take him into custody.
"MYTH": These Border Patrol agents should not have been prosecuted (according to Sutton this is a myth)
FACT: The U.S. Attorney's version of what happened at the border on February 17, 2005 relies almost exclusively on the testimony of an admitted drug smuggler, hardly a trustworthy source. Moreover, as previously noted, it is directly contradicted by compelling physical evidence - the angle of the bullet that sturck the drug smuggler. It is clear that the drug smuggler was pointing something at the agents as he ran away, and it was reasonable under the totality of the circumstances for them to assume that the object was a firearm. Since the drug smuggler absconded into Mexico, there was no way that the agents could have recovered his weapon - he took it with him.
Follow the link in the title to read the entire article...
"Myth": The agents were just doing their jobs (rebuttal to Johnny Suttons claim it was a myth they were doing their jobs)
FACT: Both agent Compean and Ramos testified that the drug smuggler turned and pointed a weapon at them while he was running away. The wound channel created by the bullet that struck the drug smuggler corroborates their version of the events. According to the affidavit of the Office of Inspector General investigator who accompanied the drug smuggler to William Beaumont Army Medical Center for treatment, the Army doctor who removed the bullet fragment from the drug smuggler "advised that the bullet entered the lower left buttocks of the victim and passed through his pelvic triangle and lodged in his right thigh". At the trial, the Army doctor testified that the drug smuggler's body was "bladed" away from the bullet that struck him, consistent with the motion of a left-handed person running away while pointing backward, causing the body to twist. There is only one logical object that he would have been pointing at them under these circumstances - a firearm.
As noted previously, none of the agents on the north side of the irrigation canal could have possibly seen what transpired on the other side of the levee access road, even if they climbed on top of one of the vehicles. It is also worth noting that Agent Juarez, along with two other Border Patrol agents, was granted immunity by the Department of Justice in exchange for his testimony. Since he was not involved in the incident, one has to wonder why he would need immunity, and what effect that had on the truthfulness of his testimony.
"Myth": The government let a drug smuggler go free (according to Sutton this is a myth)
FACT: The US Attoerney's Office and Office of Inspector General had no trouble identifying Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila as the driver of the van loaded with 743 pounds of marijuana and tracking him down in Mexico. Since the drug smuggler obviously made frequent trips to the United States, it would have been a simple matter to issue a warrant for his arrest, and wait for law enforcement authorities to take him into custody.
"MYTH": These Border Patrol agents should not have been prosecuted (according to Sutton this is a myth)
FACT: The U.S. Attorney's version of what happened at the border on February 17, 2005 relies almost exclusively on the testimony of an admitted drug smuggler, hardly a trustworthy source. Moreover, as previously noted, it is directly contradicted by compelling physical evidence - the angle of the bullet that sturck the drug smuggler. It is clear that the drug smuggler was pointing something at the agents as he ran away, and it was reasonable under the totality of the circumstances for them to assume that the object was a firearm. Since the drug smuggler absconded into Mexico, there was no way that the agents could have recovered his weapon - he took it with him.
Follow the link in the title to read the entire article...
Labels: Compean Ramos Border Agents Sutton Bonner Rebuttal
