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Two Texas men were arrested earlier this week in connection to a shooting that reportedly resulted in the death of a migrant, according to reports.
Michael Sheppard, an ex-Texas prison warden, and his brother, Mark, were taken into custody on Thursday and are facing manslaughter charges, CNN reported.
The pair was apprehended after state officials say the duo, both in their 60s, allegedly shot a group of migrants who were getting water on the road.
"The group took cover to avoid being detected. The vehicle then backed up, and the driver exited the vehicle," an affidavit obtained by the outlet said. "The driver leaned on the hood of the vehicle and fired two shots from a firearm at the group. … The driver then re-entered the vehicle and fled the scene."
The incident happened on the side of a road nearby Sierra Blanca, a town just a few miles from the Mexico border, on Tuesday, according to the report. One unidentified man reportedly died and one woman was injured and transported to a hospital in El Paso.
The shooting comes on the heels of a rise in anti-migrant rhetoric and amid GOP leaders transporting asylum seekers across the country, a move that immigration experts have called dehumanizing.
The El Paso Times reported that law enforcement was able to track down the truck at Michael's home and interrogated the brothers, who at first denied being near the scene, but later said they were together that day. The newspaper reported that Mark told officials that they were hunting for ducks but kept changing their story and mentioned looking for birds and Javelinas, a pig-like animal.
He added that he thought he spotted a "black butt," and under the assumption that it was javelina, his brother Mike fired two shots.
According to the report citing the affidavit, one of the migrants told officials that the suspects were hurling offensive language in Spanish, saying,"'Come out you son-of-a-bitch, little asses!"
The Department of Homeland Security said that there were 13 migrants present during the attack. In addition, the agency added that more charges against the brothers might be underway.
"HSI El Paso, in collaboration with the U.S. Border Patrol, FBI, Texas Rangers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Hudspeth County Sheriff's Office, will continue to pursue all investigative leads concerning the shooting, and will pursue state murder charges and any other potential federal crimes," a spokesperson told The El Paso Times.
