The U.S. Border Patrol agent who shot and killed a Mexican national last week has returned to work, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department announced Monday.
Sheriff’s officials said Agent Daniel Basinger shot Jesus Flores-Cruz on Feb. 18 along Otay Mountain Truck Trail, east of State Route 125.
Basinger told investigators he fired because he feared for his life as Flores-Cruz threw rocks -- one the size of a basketball -- at him during a foot pursuit.
Flores-Cruz died of two gunshot wounds and was identified using fingerprints from a 1996 arrest record by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
Basinger was treated for injuries to his face from the rocks.
The sheriff’s department said Basinger has worked for Border Patrol for just over two and a half years and has returned to duty.
On Thurday, Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department condemned the shooting, saying officials were “profoundly concerned” about it.
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The sheriff’s homicide detail is asking anyone with information about the shooting to call 858-974-2321.
