Two Border Patrol agents were shot on Tuesday and one, Agent Nicholas Ivie, was killed. The shooting took place near the newly named Brian Terry Border Patrol Station. The natural assumption was that they were victims of cross-border drug runners. And it was hard not to wonder if, as in the murder of Agent Terry, Fast and Furious-related guns were involved. Mexican troops even arrested two suspects in the shootings. But if new reports are to be believed . . .

The shootings were apparently a tragic case of friendly fire.

Investigators are preparing to announce that the death of Border Patrol Agent Nicholas Ivie in Arizona earlier this week was the result of friendly fire — accidental gunfire from another agent who responded to the same scene, state and federal officials told NBC News on Friday.

The conclusion is based on an analysis of the ballistics, the lack of evidence of other criminals in the area at the time, and other factors, the sources said.

The FBI released a statement later on Friday confirming that preliminary evidence showed friendly fire was to blame in the shootings.

The agents had responded to an alarm indicating movement along the border area. An FBI spokesman said further details would be released “at the appropriate time.” Watch this space.

 

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37 COMMENTS

    • +1000.

      Lord knows we could make better use of that money domestically. With the pullouts overseas our troops still need a paycheck so keep ’em paid to saturate the border.

      • Good point. We should run the story through the network ‘agenda filter’ before judgement is made.
        I really wish I knew what was political and what is reality these days. Too bad I probably never will.

        • These days? You think this stuff is new? That after how many hundreds of years, the media finally figured out it could manipulate the public?

  5. Perhaps this olde tinfoil hat is out of adjustment, but this is a mighty convenient conclusion for Obama after the loss of his last presidential debate. Coincidently the FBI reports to the Attorney General of the United States, who is still the(Congressionally cited for contempt) Honorable Eric Holder.

    • all fbi agents are registered democrats and that is totally a black fema helicopter hovering over your house

  6. Call me a skeptic on this one. If I’m ever shot and killed in the line of duty, I want an investigative team that seeks the truth at all cost. I found the use of the FBI in the Zimmerman shooting to be highly unusual as well. I’m not nearly about to write this off as friendly fire / negligent discharge / etc. just yet.

    • Under the assumption that both parties where uniformed border agents this scenario would seem highly unlikely. If one of the parties was “under-cover” or un-uniformed then it would be much more likely, but then would beg the obvious question – what the hell were un-uniformed agents of any kind doing in the area and not letting the uniforms in the area know it?.

      • This was not a city street complete with street lights. It’s rough country and all three agents out there were undoubtedly on edge and jumpy, if only because they knew personnel coverage was thin and backup was more than a few minutes away.

        If the agents from both stations were trying to keep a low profile to maintain the element of surprise if/when they encountered anyone, I can easily see how even one agent being a little too quick on the trigger could lead to a tragic blue-on-blue firefight. Both sides firing from light cover at 25-50m distance without visually IDing the opposition as fellow agents? Totally plausible, in my opinion.

  7. I was going to make a sarcastic joke about all of this being Obama’s fault, but instead the conspiracy theories I just read above diminished my faith in humanity.

    • +1 Blue Falcon incidents happen.

      At least, unlike Pat Tillman’s case, the tragic truth has come out quicker.

      • Bad outcome for everyone, especially the survivors. It’s a hard, lonely road ahead for the agent who landed the blue-on-blue hits in the firefight.

        Also, anyone who thinks the FBI special agents investigating this are part of some huge Obama/Holder conspiracy clearly misunderstands how the FBI works. Hell, it’s pretty good odds that all of the agents on the case voted for McCain last election.

        My basis for asserting this: one of my parents spent 22 years in the FBI and 5 years in the Air Marshals. I grew up around federal LEOs. They are ridiculously straight-laced and the last people in the world I’d suspect of abetting a government conspiracy.

        Note that I do not consider the BATFE goons to be real federal LEOs, no matter how many classes they audit at Quantico alongside real LEOs.

  8. What Team Obama will not do to try lowering the unemployment rate. BO must be getting his advice from the Clintons who had many strange deaths at their front door. One or two new field positions now accepting applications for US Border Agents.

    • Are you also planning to picket Agent Ivie’s funeral with signs reading “God Hates Border Patrol”?

      • Why should God hate the Border Patrol? They are doing a great job, under the restrictions of the law and other resources, to keep illegal aliens and criminals from crossing the border. More importantly why should anyone picket Ivie’s funeral? RIP to Agent Ivie.

        • Sorry, I overreacted to your original comment as I thought it disrespectful to Agent Ivie and his family.

        • No problem. It can take a bit to know the personalities of people who post at a blog. BTW, fyi I have a serious and sarcastic side, and I dislike both big political parties R&D and almost all politicians. You will see me here post about our government being filled with liberal fascists and conservative fascists. I don’t discriminate: I consider the democrats and republicans as the two most dangerous and destructive organized criminal gangs in America working for the same elitist club.

  9. so 3 days after the incident, RIGHT after the Mexicans find 2 suspects, now they determined this is friendly fire? could it be that there might have been another connection to F&F? that would be disastrous to the current administration.

    • The two suspects were probably Mexicans contracted by Eric Holder and company to distribute semi-automatic military-style weapons to the cartels. EH & BO don’t want them extradited to America since the investigation would prove embarrassing, especially before the election.

    • the mexican police that supposedly supplies most weapons to the cartels and always looks the other way?

    • My opinion is that Kimberly Dvorak writes right-wing conservative editorials disguised as news articles.

    • tl;dr

      All it is, is bitching and moaning about 1 cop that got killed out of 2.4 million people who die every year. Who cares.

  13. Freindly fire isnt. Imagine youre out in the brush, investigating a sensor alarm…youre on edge, I mean, youre stationed somewhere named after some one on the losing side of a fight…And then you see a silouhette with a gun…and, uh oh. Your out dated training kicks in and you shoot with out posative ID. Is that more or less likley than a massive federal cover up? Ever hear of Occams Razor?

  14. Some years ago there was a Border Patrol agent on “bandit patrol”in plainclothes accidentally shot and seriously wounded by a tactical team in the same area who mistook him for a bandit.He thankfully didn’t die from the incident,but these things can happen in low light conditions in an area where a lot of “activity” occurs.The incident I mentioned was at Chula Vista,at that time a very busy station.
    I was a Border Patrolman and Special Agent for the INS in pre-DHS days.

  15. I can’t accept that this is a case of “friendly fire”. From what I see on tv and new police officers and border patrol agents are always communicating. This smells like a B.O./Halder coverup. They don’t want another fast and furious news story this close to elections.

    • along the same lines, Romey orchestrated the Benghazi embassy attack to stick it to BO. That theory has just as much, if not more merit than yours.

  16. For the sake of agent Ivie, his family, and all those involved, I hope a real and genuine explanation of events is made public in a timely fashion.

    The question screaming in my mind right now is: what transpired that an agent felt the need to use their weapon???

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