Shooter Armed With Rifle, Body Armor Dead After Attempting Ambush on Border Patrol Agents

[Photo Credit: By U.S. Customs and Border Protection - https://www.flickr.com/photos/cbpphotos/11935048113/in/photolist-jbEeZB, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61716310]

A gunman wearing tactical gear reportedly opened fire early Monday morning outside a U.S. Border Patrol facility near McAllen International Airport, injuring a local police officer before being fatally shot by agents, officials said.

The attacker, identified as 27-year-old Ryan Louis Mosqueda of Michigan, arrived in the parking lot of a Border Patrol annex just before 6 a.m. and began firing with an assault-style rifle.

According to local law enforcement, dozens of rounds were discharged in a rapid barrage aimed at both the facility and officers stationed outside.

Agents stationed at the facility returned fire, killing the assailant before he could enter the building. No Border Patrol agents were injured in the exchange, but a McAllen police officer responding to the scene was struck in the knee. The officer, a ten-year veteran of the force, is expected to make a full recovery.

Authorities say Mosqueda had recently been reported missing from a nearby town and had been living in Texas for an undetermined period.

After neutralizing the shooter, agents and local police searched his vehicle, which was found to contain additional firearms, ammunition, and tactical gear. No explosives were discovered.

The FBI has taken over the investigation, which remains in its early stages. Officials have not yet disclosed a motive, though they confirmed that the assailant acted alone.

The incident triggered a temporary lockdown at the adjacent McAllen airport, causing delays as bomb squads and federal investigators swept the area to ensure there were no secondary threats.

This shooting comes amid heightened national concerns over the safety of immigration enforcement personnel. Federal officials recently warned of growing threats to facilities and agents along the U.S.–Mexico border.

The annex targeted in Monday’s assault is part of the Rio Grande Valley Sector, one of the busiest zones for border crossings and migrant apprehensions.

Agents in the region have increasingly found themselves the subject of scrutiny and threats, as debates over immigration policy remain central to the national political discourse.

Local leaders have called for a full accounting of how the shooter was able to approach and open fire at a federal facility, and whether any intelligence failures preceded the incident.

Officials say additional security measures may soon be implemented to protect vulnerable outposts.

The investigation is ongoing.

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