A U.S. Border Patrol agent who was shot and killed in California was identified Friday.
“Agent Robert Rosas was gunned down while protecting our nation’s Southwest border,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Friday in a statement. “This act of violence will not stand — nor will any act of violence against the Border Patrol.” The agent was shot Thursday night in San Diego County, California, a spokesman for the federal Customs and Border Protection agency said. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds while on duty in the Campo area, said Michael Reilly, the agency’s assistant chief for border security operations. Ross is the ninth Border Patrol agent to be killed while on duty since 2006, according to the agency’s Web site. Napolitano vowed to “find and bring to justice” those responsible for the killing. “His death is a vivid reminder that we are engaged in a serious effort to secure our border and that thousands of Border Patrol agents and other [Department of Homeland Security] employees risk their lives every single day to protect and defend our nation,” she said.
