Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
Swartz shot 16-year-old Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez in 2012.
It was the second trial for the US Border Patrol agent.
BREAKING: Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter. @AaliaShaheed will have the latest updates on @KVOA pic.twitter.com/RRqIAbZLNU
— Mac Colson (@MacColsonTV) November 21, 2018
Border Patrol agent acquitted in Mexican teen's 2012 death https://t.co/xHW9g8yAFD pic.twitter.com/eSOl5iCFo0
— azfamily 3TV CBS 5 (@azfamily) November 21, 2018
A jury in Arizona has acquitted a U.S. Border Patrol agent of manslaughter in the cross-border shooting death of a Mexican teen six years ago.
Jurors found Lonnie Swartz not guilty of involuntary manslaughter Wednesday. It was his second trial after another jury acquitted him of second-degree murder and deadlocked on the manslaughter charge earlier this year.
It marks another loss for federal prosecutors in a rare criminal case against an agent for using force.
Swartz said he was defending himself and other law enforcement officers from rock-throwers when he shot at 16-year-old Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez through a border fence. The boy was shot in the back about 10 times.
Prosecutors said Swartz was fed up with rock-throwers and lost his temper when he opened fire.
https://twitter.com/workersworld/status/1065340342252126208
Protesters waited outside the court for the verdict today.
Jury deadlocked in case of #borderpatrol shooting of 16 yo #JoseElenaRodriguez in 2012. #BP agent #LonnieSwartz being tried for manslaughter. Arguments ended on Nov 16. Judge sent jury back to deliberations. pic.twitter.com/0bIN07lYxN
— TheNationReport (@TheNationReport) November 21, 2018
