Date March 21, 2011 Deaths 1 | Location Douglas, Arizona, USA | |
On March 21, 2011, a fatal shooting incident occurred in the town of Douglas, Arizona, along the international border with Agua Prieta, Mexico, which resulted in the death of 19-year-old Douglas resident Carlos LaMadrid by a member of the United States Border Patrol.
According to police investigators, Border Patrol Agent Lucas Tidwell attempted to pull LaMadrid's truck over approximately 15 yards from the international border in Douglas, after receiving a call that LaMadrid's vehicle was carrying illegal drugs. LaMadrid and a passenger quickly exited the vehicle and fled toward the border fence, where a ladder to climb over had been erected. As LaMadrid was climbing the ladder with the help of one of the other suspects, a third suspect began throwing "large rocks" at Agent Tidwell as he exited his vehicle, nearly striking him in the head and causing him to open fire with his sidearm. LaMadrid was struck four times in the back as he was climbing and died on the scene. The two remaining suspects escaped into Mexico.
In 2015, LaMadrid's mother, Guadalupe Guerrero, filed a lawsuit against the United State Border Patrol for the death of her son. On April 25, 2016, U.S. District Judge James Soto ruled that Agent Tidwell's actions were legal on the grounds that he was defending himself against lethal force, and therefore could not be held responsible for LaMadrid's death.