The Border Patrol agent credited with killing the 18-year-old Latino male who murdered 19 children at an elementary school in Texas on Tuesday was part of an elite unit that utilizes military special operations training.
The agent is part of BORTAC, which stands for “Border Patrol Tactical Unit,” a small unit composed of only a couple hundred agents that is relied upon to carry out dangerous missions, including going after human traffickers and raiding stash houses.
The Wall Street Journal reported that approximately 150 Border Patrol agents are stationed in Uvalde, which is where Robb Elementary School is located.
When local police sent out the call yesterday about the shooting, Border Patrol agents were among the first law enforcement officials to respond.
The report said that 80 Border Patrol agents responded to the shooting and that the BORTAC agents usually carry their tactical gear with them.
“Initially, the Bortac agents couldn’t get into the classroom because of a steel door and cinder block construction,” the report said. “Meanwhile, the gunman … shot at them through the door and walls.”
“The Bortac agents got a master key from the school principal that allowed them to enter the room,” the report added. “One Bortac agent’s shield was hit by rounds upon entering and a second agent was wounded by shrapnel. A third killed the suspect.”
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that the agents acted “without hesitation” as they “put themselves between the shooter and students to end the bloodshed and administer medical aid.”
“Their heroism yesterday saved lives,” Mayorkas added.
Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin tweeted out a photograph of the hat that the Border Patrol agent was wearing when he killed the attacker.
“This is the hat the elite, veteran BORTAC Border Patrol agent was wearing when he breached the classroom with a tactical team and engaged/killed the Uvalde school shooter, a CBP source tells me,” Melugin tweeted. “Graze wound to head. Many BP agents in Uvalde have kids at the school.”
NEW: This is the hat the elite, veteran BORTAC Border Patrol agent was wearing when he breached the classroom with a tactical team and engaged/killed the Uvalde school shooter, a CBP source tells me. Graze wound to head. Many BP agents in Uvalde have kids at the school. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/924WCOZjsK
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) May 25, 2022
Source: Dailywire
