DPS helicopter fires on suspected illegal immigrants; 2 killed

A red pickup truck is moved from the scene after a chase between law enforcement and suspected human smugglers on 7 mile road north of La Joya, Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012. Texas Department of Public Safety sharpshooter opened fire on an evading vehicle loaded with suspected illegal immigrants, leaving at least two people dead, sources familiar with the investigation said. less A red pickup truck is moved from the scene after a chase between law enforcement and suspected human smugglers on 7 mile road north of La Joya, Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012. Texas Department of Public Safety ... more Photo: Joel Martinez, McAllen Monitor Photo: Joel Martinez, McAllen Monitor Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close DPS helicopter fires on suspected illegal immigrants; 2 killed 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

An official with the Guatemalan consulate said Friday that the consul was looking into seven arrests and two deaths in the Rio Grande Valley, after a highway patrol helicopter opened fire on a vehicle suspected of smuggling illegal immigrants.

The Associated Press on Friday said diplomats are investigating the arrest of seven Guatemalans in connection with the Thursday afternoon incident near La Joya, about 70 miles northwest of Brownsville.

Humberto Palacios, an official with the Guatemalan consulate in McAllen, said the consul was looking into the matter. The nationalities of the dead and of an eighth person arrested later are unknown.

A Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter joined a pursuit initiated by Texas Parks and Wildlife Thursday in Hidalgo County, DPS spokeswoman Catherine Cesinger said.

A DPS officer “discharged a weapon” during the chase, according to Cesinger's statement.

She confirmed that two people traveling in the vehicle died, one was injured and transported to a hospital.

Texas Parks and Wildlife spokesman Mike Cox said Friday that the chase began because officers suspected illegal activity.

Troopers were looking for additional subjects Thursday afternoon and the Texas Rangers are investigating the incident, Cesinger said.

DPS has taken an aggressive role on the border in recent years, increasing the number of troopers there, deploying boats and dispatching helicopters with designated marksmen armed with powerful rifles.

As a result, the agency has been involved in a large number of high-speed chases — sometimes ending in what troopers call “splashdowns,” when smugglers drive their vehicles into the Rio Grande to escape U.S. law enforcement.

Cartel operatives on the Mexican side often use boats to try to recover contraband from the smugglers' trucks.

The agency's director has said it's been forced into the role because federal agencies aren't doing enough to secure the border and because smugglers have become more aggressive, resorting to splashdowns, using other vehicles to block pursuits and throwing homemade spikes at officers.

But their methods have been questioned, including decisions to shoot at fleeing vehicles from patrol cars and helicopters, a tactic eschewed by other law enforcement agencies.