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| Raymond Mattia, Tohono O'odham |
U.S. Border Patrol Agents who Murdered Raymond Mattia, Tohono O'odham, Identified
"Earlier this year, the family of 58-year-old Raymond Mattia filed a lawsuit, accusing Border Patrol of excessive force and demanding the names of the agents who killed him.
"Attorneys Ryan Stitt and Marcus Bourassa filed an amended complaint, and on Friday issued a summons for Border Patrol Agents Scott Whitehouse, Dan Sifuentes, and Ivan Torralva, who they said "shot and killed Raymond for no reason."
"Despite the lack of a threat and his compliance, at least three of the agents met his compliant calm demeanor with a hail of gunfire," the attorneys wrote. Whitehouse, Sifuentes, and Torralva "all fired their weapons at Mr. Mattia."
Continue reading at Tucson Sentinel:
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| Amended complaint filed on Friday. |
Case 4:24-cv-00252-RM Document 24 Filed 12/12/24 Page 2 of 17
Excerpt:
5. A group of Agents approached Mr. Mattia’s home and Mr. Mattia exited to greet
them. At least one of the agents was pointing a gun at Mr. Mattia from the
moment they saw him and before they even spoke.
6. Mr. Mattia was carrying a sheathed hunting knife. One of the Agents told him
to drop it and he complied - tossing it underhand (and sheathed) away from
himself in a non-threatening manner.
7. Despite Mr. Mattia’s compliance and non-threatening demeanor, the other
agents drew their weapons and screamed conflicting and frantic commands.
8. One agent yelled “[g]et on your fucking face.”
9. Another ordered Mr. Mattia to “[p]ut your hands out of your fucking pocket.”
10. Mr. Mattia’s right hand was in his jacket pocket, and he complied by removing
his hand from his pocket toward his right side and away from the Agents.
11. Mr. Mattia was holding a cellphone in his hand.
12. Mr. Mattia was fully compliant, unarmed and posed no threat to the Agents or
anyone else. There was no evidence Mr. Mattia had been the subject of the
earlier call or otherwise concealing evidence of any crime.
13. Despite the lack of a threat and his compliance, at least three of the Agents met
his compliant calm demeanor with a hail of gunfire, including Border Patrol
Agent Scott Whitehouse, Border Patrol Agent Dan Sifuentes, and Border Patrol
Agent Ivan Torralva all fired their weapons at Mr. Mattia.
14. Agents ordered him to drop the sheathed knife – which he did. Seconds later
they ordered him to take his hand out of his pocket – which he did. In response,
the agents immediately killed him.
15. The agents shot and killed Mr. Mattia in his own front yard almost immediately
after exiting his home to greet them.
5. A group of Agents approached Mr. Mattia’s home and Mr. Mattia exited to greet
them. At least one of the agents was pointing a gun at Mr. Mattia from the
moment they saw him and before they even spoke.
6. Mr. Mattia was carrying a sheathed hunting knife. One of the Agents told him
to drop it and he complied - tossing it underhand (and sheathed) away from
himself in a non-threatening manner.
7. Despite Mr. Mattia’s compliance and non-threatening demeanor, the other
agents drew their weapons and screamed conflicting and frantic commands.
8. One agent yelled “[g]et on your fucking face.”
9. Another ordered Mr. Mattia to “[p]ut your hands out of your fucking pocket.”
10. Mr. Mattia’s right hand was in his jacket pocket, and he complied by removing
his hand from his pocket toward his right side and away from the Agents.
11. Mr. Mattia was holding a cellphone in his hand.
12. Mr. Mattia was fully compliant, unarmed and posed no threat to the Agents or
anyone else. There was no evidence Mr. Mattia had been the subject of the
earlier call or otherwise concealing evidence of any crime.
13. Despite the lack of a threat and his compliance, at least three of the Agents met
his compliant calm demeanor with a hail of gunfire, including Border Patrol
Agent Scott Whitehouse, Border Patrol Agent Dan Sifuentes, and Border Patrol
Agent Ivan Torralva all fired their weapons at Mr. Mattia.
14. Agents ordered him to drop the sheathed knife – which he did. Seconds later
they ordered him to take his hand out of his pocket – which he did. In response,
the agents immediately killed him.
15. The agents shot and killed Mr. Mattia in his own front yard almost immediately
after exiting his home to greet them.
Excerpt: TOPD (Tohono O'odham Nation Police Department)
30. Agents arrived at the Menagers Dam Village Recreational Center and met with
at least one TOPD Officer. One of the Officers stated that they were looking for
someone who had fired a rifle and that “[i]t’s going to be a little bit of a guessing
game trying to find [the suspect.]” He followed up by saying “I don’t know
exactly where that motherfucker’s at.”
-----
Note: The Tohono O'odham Nation has not identified the tribal police officer involved.
Note: Public records reveal that U.S. Customs and Border Protection denied a Freedom of Information request to an Arizona Daily Star reporter for information on the shooting of Raymond Mattia on June 7, 2023.
The agency denied the records under Exception 7A (would interfere enforcement proceedings.)
.
Read more:
The Intercept: Arizona prosecutor fails to charge Border Patrol agents in Mattia's death
Censored News: Tohono O'odham Nation Police vendetta revealed in murder of Raymond Mattia
The vendetta of a Tohono O'odham Nation police officer is revealed by attorneys for the family of Raymond Mattia, Tohono O'odham, who was murdered when Tohono O'odham police and U.S. Border Patrol agents fired 38 shots at him, striking him with nine bullets, in front of his home.
“I don’t know exactly where that motherfucker is at," a Tohono O'odham Nation police officer told U.S. Border Patrol agents as they met shortly before Raymond was murdered.
"During a series of interviews between 2011 and 2013, on the border in Raymond's community, Ali Jegk, Raymond told Censored News that he videotaped U.S. Border Patrol agents escorting Mexican cartels bringing drug loads across the border. When Raymond submitted the evidence, it vanished."
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