EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – The family of a U.S. citizen killed in Juarez by a Mexican police officer is asking for donations related to funeral and legal expenses.
Julian Alfredo Rodriguez Medina, 19, his brother and a friend were shot at by a Chihuahua state police officer on a street in the Melchor Ocampo neighborhood last Sunday. The shooting left Rodriguez dead on the scene.
Chihuahua state prosecutors are investigating the shooting and could be filing charges against the officer, who alleges self-defense. A security camera video on the websites of Juarez news outlets shows the blue Ford Mustang driven by Rodriguez coming up on a street where the officer is monitoring traffic as a prosecutor serves a warrant in a nearby home.
Mexican officials have identified the officer as Arturo Ivan S.V. Mexican law prohibits the release of full names of people suspected of crimes.
The family says Rodriguez, a resident of El Paso, was in Juarez visiting his mother and had gone out to get food with his brother and a friend when events unfolded.
On Wednesday, people close to Rodriguez and his family set up a GoFundMe page.
“He was an extremely hard worker and had three jobs, one of them working with elderly people. He was a sweet young man with a big and kind heart. He is remembered by family and friends as someone who was friendly, helpful, loving, and lived life to the fullest,” the post on GoFundMe says.
The family says Rodriguez’s brother previously suffered injuries during a motorcycle crash that required facial surgeries. He often wore a ski mask, which he wore the day of the shooting. The family speculates that may have looked suspicious to the police officer.
They are concerned that the killing may go unpunished.
“Due to the nature of this horrific and unexpected incident, the family will need to hire an attorney to assist with the current investigation as he was an American citizen killed by a Mexican police officer,” the GoFundMe post says. “The family is in major need of assistance with attorney gees and funeral expenses.”
Read: Read More