EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Family, friends, and former colleagues of the decorated late FBI agent Julio Cordero, will gather Thursday evening for a funeral viewing and a prayer service in honor of his life, ahead of his funeral on Friday.
“We’re going to honor his life. I’ve made it very clear to our family. We’re going to talk about Julio. We’re going to talk about the beautiful person he was. We’re going to talk about the sacrifices he’s made. We’re going to talk about how generous he was because he had a huge heart. The awesome father that he was to his children. We’re going to talk about his life,” said Cordero’s brother, Marco Cordero.
Julio Cordero was shot and killed by an El Paso Independent School District Police officer last month, in an altercation after he allegedly had been vandalizing the school.
KTSM spoke with Cordero’s family shortly after the incident, who explained that Cordero had severe mental struggles associated with past trauma. They also described at length the well-respected person he was beyond those challenges.
There will be a procession in honor of Julio Cordero’s life on Friday, Sept. 13, that will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Sunset Funeral Home located at 750 North Carolina Drive.
The procession will make its way to the FBI Offices in El Paso, located at 660 S Mesa Hills Drive, according to Marco Cordero, who added that he is grateful for the heartwarming response his family has received from the Borderland community.
“I really want to thank people who have reached out to us, who have offered us their condolences, offered praise to Julio’s legacy, his work and to the many friends that we tend to forget,” Marco Cordero said.
He said Thursday evening will be dedicated to honoring his brother’s life, but that he can’t help but feel anger as questions loom as to why the situation involving the death of his brother escalated to that violent point.
“Unfortunately, I feel a little angry right now. There’s always going to be some compassion, but there’s so many questions that are not answered, and I think allowing us to watch the video to put these questions to rest would certainly help us,” Marco Cordero said.
“I don’t like the way that the district responds to the questions we have. That’s causing not only frustration but anger to set in. Because we just want the truth. If he (Julio Cordero) was in the wrong, then he was in the wrong. But it’s almost as if we’re getting a sanitized version of the events that happened,” he added.
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