EAGLE PASS, Texas — A Texas National Guard soldier died Tuesday morning while on duty from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The soldier is reportedly deployed to the Texas border with Mexico under Operation Lone Star.
Officials in Eagle Pass report that a soldier in the Texas National Guard assigned to patrol the Texas-Mexico border was found dead near his post south of the city of Eagle Pass. The soldier’s identity and home of record have not yet been released.
Law enforcement sources told Breitbart Texas that the soldier’s partner at the outpost discovered the body.
A Texas National Guard observation post near the location where a soldier died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
Emergency responders traveled to the scene and a justice of the peace was called to make the statutory declaration of death, the source said.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott confirmed the soldier’s death by a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a statement issued at noon on Tuesday.
“Cecilia and I are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic loss of a soldier with the Texas National Guard. Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones of the soldier,” Governor Abbott stated. “Texas Rangers are leading the investigation, as the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety coordinate with local law enforcement.”
“I ask all Texans to join Cecilia and me in praying for the soldier’s family during this heartbreaking time,” the governor expressed. “And for any Texan who is in crisis, we urge you to seek help immediately from a family member, loved one, or a mental health service.”
Breitbart Texas also reached out to the Texas Military Department for additional information. An immediate response was not available.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and National Guard officials process the scene where a Guardsman died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound on October 4, 2022. (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
The Guardsman is the second to die this year under Operation Lone Star. In April, Specialist Bishop Evans drowned in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass while attempting to rescue what he believed to be drowning migrants, Breitbart Texas reported. It turned out the two people in the river were connected to a cartel drug smuggling operation.
“Your grandson did not die in vain,” McCarthy said to SPC Bishop’s grandmother who raised the young guardsman while touring the border in Eagle Pass. “He was a National Guard Specialist. He was a human being. He risked his own life for a person he did not know because he could not watch that person drown.”
Texas Military Department officials reported that the investigation into the disappearance revealed that the two migrants were involved in “illicit transnational narcotics trafficking.”
Following Tuesday’s death of the soldier in Eagle Pass, Governor Abbott reminded soldiers and veterans of support resources that are available on the Texas Department of Health and Human Services website.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
Editor’s Note: This is a developing story. Additional information may be added as it becomes available.
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