PHOENIX - The family of a slain Border Patrol agent has sued federal
officials over the botched "Fast and Furious" gun operation, claiming
they should have known it created a risk to law enforcement authorities.
Agent
Brian Terry was mortally wounded on Dec. 14, 2010, in a firefight north
of the Arizona-Mexico border between U.S. agents and five men who had
sneaked into the country to rob marijuana smugglers.
The case was
filed Thursday, one day short of the two-year anniversary of Terry's
death and a deadline for filing a wrongful death claim in federal court.
Federal
authorities who conducted "Fast and Furious" have faced tough criticism
for allowing suspected straw gun buyers for a smuggling ring to walk
away from gun shops in Arizona with weapons, rather than arrest them and
seize the guns.
The lawsuit made publicly available Friday was
filed by Terry's parents against six managers and investigators for the
U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The
family also sued a federal prosecutor who had previously handled the
case but is no longer on it, and the owner of the gun store where two
rifles found in the aftermath of the firefight were bought.
The
family alleges the ATF officials and federal prosecutor created a risk
to law enforcement officers such as Terry, and that the firearms agents
should have known their actions would lead to injuries and deaths to
civilians and police officers in America and Mexico.
The family
also alleged that firearms agents and the prosecutor sought to cover up
the link between Terry's death and the botched "Fast and Furious"
investigation. (Continues)
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