A surveillance video captured the scene as a human smuggler dropped a four-year-old child from the top of a California border wall. As San Diego Sector agents attempted to treat the child’s injuries, shots rang out from the Mexican side of the border.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz tweeted a surveillance video showing human smugglers dropping two small children from what appears to be a 30-foot border wall in San Diego. The first child appeared to be unharmed from the fall.
A 4-year-old was dropped from the border barrier by an unknown subject in San Diego, Monday. Responding Agents and EMS providing first aid to the child also reported gunshots near their position while tending to the child. Remarkably, the child is ok! Do not trust smugglers! pic.twitter.com/MlOp2qka72
— Chief Raul Ortiz (@USBPChief) May 22, 2023
A few seconds later, a small child is dropped from the wall and lands on his back, possibly hitting his head. The first child rushes to the smaller child’s side while an adult lowers themselves from the top.
Chief Ortiz stated that Border Patrol agents and EMS teams provided first aid to the little boy. They reported hearing gunfire near their position as they attempted to treat the child’s injuries.
The chief added that the child is okay after the fall.
CBP officials reported that the agents heard the gunfire impacting and ricocheting off the secondary border barrier just north of their position. While a CBP Air and Marine Operations helicopter crew provided aircover, a special response team moved in to provide tactical assistance.
The San Diego Foreign Operations Branch contacted Mexican law enforcement authorities who responded to the area where the shots were believed to have been fired.
This was the second report of gunfire along the border in two days. During the evening of May 13, a Border Patrol supervisor reported taking gunfire from a position southwest of his location. A responding helicopter crew observed several people in the area — one of whom appeared to be carrying a rifle.
“Border violence is a significant threat to public safety and to the Border Patrol agents charged with securing our nation’s borders. This is another example of the inherent dangers that agents face every day,” said SDC Chief Patrol Agent Aaron M. Heitke. “We are taking these events very seriously and are working with law enforcement partners in the U.S. and Mexico to identify the source of the gunfire.”
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.