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McALLEN — A Michigan man is dead after opening fire on a U.S. Border Patrol station in McAllen early Monday morning, injuring three people including one McAllen police officer.
McAllen police responded to the scene shortly before 6 a.m., where the shooter, Ryan Louis Mosqueda — believed to be 27 or 28 years old — attacked the federal building with an assault rifle. U.S. Border Patrol agents returned fire, killing the suspect.
Ismael Garcia, a 10-year veteran with the McAllen police who responded to the scene, was struck in the knee during the shootout and is in recovery, Chief Victor Rodriguez said during a news conference Monday. Another officer and one border patrol employee were also injured during the assault, according to a statement issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. They sustained those injuries from inside the building as bullets shattered the windows, sending shards of glass flying, Rodriguez said.
“Incidents like these make us realize that we’ve to always be on guard to keep our community safe,” Rodriguez said.
Law enforcement on the scene found additional assault weapons and ammunition in the vehicle Mosqueda drove to the scene. Spray-painted writing was also found on the side of the vehicle but Rodriguez could not provide details of the lettering and said it is not known if it’s connected to the attack.
Mosqueda is believed to have some ties to the community as he was reported missing from a Weslaco address, about 18 miles east of McAllen, at 4 a.m., though Rodriguez could not disclose the nature of those ties.
Rodriguez said a motive for the attack remains unknown and declined to call the attack an act of terrorism, saying not enough information is available. However, the FBI will now lead the investigation as the incident involved an attack on federal officers and a federal building.
Flights at the nearby McAllen International Airport were delayed for several hours as law enforcement secured the area.
Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.
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