Get that? Sixteen shots are self-defense from a teenager throwing rocks through slats of a fence. Not backing away out of range like you might do. Shooting to kill. Don't try this at home.Federal prosecutors in the United States have said they will not seek a third trial for a Border Patrol agent who has been acquitted twice after killing a Mexican teenager across a border fence [...] against Lonnie Swartz, the agent who fatally shot 16-year-old Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez in October 2012.
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In April, Swartz was acquitted of second-degree murder but a jury deadlocked on manslaughter charges.
Prosecutors re-tried Swartz on voluntary and involuntary manslaughter charges.
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The second trial, which began in October, ended with a not guilty verdict on the involuntary charge, but the jury again deadlocked on voluntary manslaughter.
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Border Patrol agents are rarely criminally charged for using force. But the killing of Rodriguez sparked outrage on both sides of the border and it came at a time when the agency was increasingly scrutinised for its use of force.
Swartz's lawyer said he was acting in self-defence and following border patrol policy when he fired at least 16 shots at Rodriguez through the slats of a border fence dividing Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Sonora in Mexico.
alJazeera
And Jose Roriguez is dead. I'm glad Lonnie Swartz can get on with his life."Agent Swartz is relieved and looking forward to moving on with his life without the threat of criminal prosecution hanging over his head," his lawyer, Sean Chapman, said in an email to the Associated Press news agency.
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