You won’t see this …

A lot of my more conservative friends — more conservative than what I do not know — sometimes send me e-mails about something on the reactionary side that many times bears the subject line: You Won’t See This on CNN, or CBS or blah. I usually delete it with much haste. No just kidding.

Well this time, I have a story that I can say “You won’t see this … ” on CNN or Fox or maybe anywhere except in Spanish-speaking local TV stations in  South Texas. It is a bizarre little story from Texas Observer columnist Cindy Casares, who specializes in issues of the Latino community. The story concerns the shooting of an “ICE” agent, or agent of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in South Texas near the border with Mexico. The agent was expected to recover and was not wounded by drug cartel members, as far as anyone has said.

The incident apparently stemmed from the agent, Kelton Harrison, staking out a rural neighborhood northeast of McAllen at 3:30 in the morning. Pedro Alvarado, 41, reportedly believed the car in which Harrison was in and which had its lights turned off, had been casing the neighborhood for some kind of  criminal activity. One might think of it as a rural South Texas neighborhood crime watch, if you will.

Alvarado began pursuing the unmarked car while his sons, one 18 and the other 16, shot at the vehicle Harrison was driving. The adult Alvarado suspects were charged in federal court on assaulting a federal officer and knowingly carrying a gun during a violent crime. I suppose one could UN-knowingly carry a gun during a violent crime. Just sayin.’ The Juvenile was charged with attempted capital murder in state court. The 18-year-old reportedly gave a full confession, according to the story by Ms. Casares, and told authorities the father told the sons to get their guns. They dutifully responded with a .22-caliber rifle and 9-mm handgun. Harrison crashed his car during a pursuit and, luckily I suppose for him, was soon joined by fellow Homeland Security investigators. The agent was then soon taken to the hospital where he underwent surgery for his wounds.

The whole episode was apparently complicated by the fact two undocumented men from El Salvador were found during a search of the Alvarado home and are being considered material witnesses.

Ms. Casares raises some interesting questions about the incident. I will let you make your own decisions as to the situation. I just think it was a really strange story and this was the first time I had heard anything about it, not that my lack of knowledge of the incident means anything.