In response to the shooting death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano made another statement Friday.
In her statement, she explained that Terry and his squad of elite Border Patrol agents were pursuing what is called a “rip crew” when Agent Terry was shot and killed last week.
A “rip crew” is the name given to gangs/groups that seek to rip off people being used as drug mules or those crossing the border illegally.
Napolitano’s statement was the first confirming that Terry and his fellow BP agents were chasing these bandits when the 40-year-old was killed near Rio Rico, Arizona on the night of December 14th.
While four suspects were apprehended, the search still continues for a fifth.
Citing that the investigation was ongoing, the former Arizona Gov. declined to comment further on Terry’s death, but she did acknowledge the work of the U.S. Border Patrol.
“Here’s the message that I gave to our Border Patrol agents down there, which is that the work they are doing is producing very, very strong results,” said Napolitano. “And you can see that in every metric…There is no doubt that that border, which I know very well, having dealt with it since ‘93, when I became U.S. attorney here, is a very different place than it was five years ago, six years ago.”
She added that Agent Terry’s death, and that of rancher Robert Krentz, should not lead anyone to assume that drug violence is on the rise.
