2 Migrants Horrifically Shot, TX Warden Charged with Manslaughter

As a group of migrants were traveling alongside a road they experienced a fatal encounter. According to DPS, the migrant victims had stopped along a road, to get water near the U.S.-Mexico border, when a truck began traveling toward them.

SPOTTED BY TWO MEN

To avoid being seen, the group took cover nearby. The truck passed the group of people up, however, it quickly stopped and began backing up. The truck pulled over and two men stepped out.

The men, who have been identified as 60-year-old brothers Michael Sheppard and Mark Sheppard exited the truck and noticed the group of people who were hiding. According to court documents, one of the men "opened fire on a group of migrants getting water near the U.S.-Mexico border."

SHOTS FIRED

The shots fired struck two of the migrants; one man was shot dead and another bullet struck a woman in the stomach. The woman survived the shooting and was recovering at a local hospital, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Authorities were able to identify the suspects and truck by checking cameras and finding a vehicle matching the description given by the migrants, according to court records.

ONE SUSPECT IS A WARDEN

Records show that one of the suspects, Michael Sheppard was a warden at the West Texas Detention Facility, "a privately owned center that houses migrant detainees and contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement." It is unclear which one of the men opened fire however spokesman Scott Sutterfield, said that the center’s warden had been fired “due to an off-duty incident unrelated to his employment.”

Both men were taken in and charged with manslaughter.

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