The ACLU of Texas, along with ACLU National and the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis, have filed a lawsuit on behalf of the family of a 20-year-old Guatemalan woman who was shot dead by a Border Patrol agent in May 2018. Claudia Patricia Gómez González was traveling through Rio Bravo, Texas, when a Border Patrol agent shot her in the head, though she was unarmed and posed no threat to the agent.
This civil rights action seeks damages against the United States under the Federal Tort Claims Act for wrongful death, gross negligence, common law battery, and reckless conduct. The case also seeks damages against the agent who killed Claudia based on violations of Claudia’s Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights.
Update 11/19/20: The Federal Bureau of Investigation is currently investigating the Border Patrol agent who shot Ms. Gomez. The case has been temporarily paused pending the results of this inquiry.
