Four Marines, assigned to Task Force 6, were hiding in the brush near the Mexican border. The Marines, in full camouflage, carrying M16s and large spotting scopes, were equipped to stay hidden for days and observe any activity, their function was to provide on-the-spot reconnaissance for the task force, a joint effort of local and federal police and the military aimed at stopping drugs from crossing the border. After all, there is a war on drugs and these are some of our nations best fighting troops.
In the early evening of May 20, 1997, the Marines spotted "a shepherd" approaching in the distance. This "shepherd" was Ezequiel Hernandez, an 18 year old high school student who was taking the family's flock of sheep out to graze. As he always did, Ezequiel took along a old .22 caliber rifle-both to keep the wild dogs at bay and to do some target practice. He knew the countryside and moved along with the herd, confident of his surroundings. What Ezequiel did not know was that four Marines were in the brush, hiding and watching him. After all, what good would the Marines be against seasoned drug smugglers if a simple shepherd spotted them? No, these Marines had been trained to make sure that no one would see them.
However, according to the Marines, Ezequiel knew they were there and fired a shot at them. In response, the team leader radioed his command and informed them that he had ordered his team to "lock and load." This was at 6:07pm. Then after knowingly firing on a military team that no one is supposed to know is there, Ezequiel continued to move past with his herd. At 6:09pm after "being spotted and shot at," the team decided to follow Ezequiel and they tracked him for almost 20 minutes. At 6:27pm, claiming Ezequiel was going to shoot another member of the team, Cpl. Banuelos shot him in the left side at a distance of 130 yards. When Ezequiel's father heard the M16 report, he knew something was wrong and ran up to the area where Ezequiel was supposed to be. He came upon the body of his son, and in the distance, the four Marines in a defensive posture with weapons at the ready. His son, Ezequiel, had bled to death from his wound, never knowing the Marines were there.
People are outraged and demanding the truth about Ezequiel's death. Many are having a hard time with the "self-defense" claim of the Marines. The military claims to be cooperating, yet the Marines were ordered back to their home base four days later and are not available for comment. Not surprisingly, the military's investigation has ruled that the Marines properly followed the "rules of engagement." These rules state that members of the military do not have to identify themselves before they start taking shots at you. While many police departments across the country would love to be able to operate the same way, it would be too openly fascist and the supreme court continues to rule against it. Yet the military is exempt from obeying the same laws its claims to be defending. Recently, a Presidio County grand jury declined to bring criminal charges against Banuelos. It seems that nine votes are required for the 12-member grand jury to return charges. Justice, not the fact that four of the twelve members consisted of a retired border patrol agent, two customs inspectors and the local border patrol assistant chief, lead to the inability to reach the required votes. Yes, justice has been truly served. BULLSHIT!
These Marines fucked up big time. It was not a case of "acting reasonably in defense of a third person," as the district attorney claims. No, the U.S. Marines basically hunted Ezequiel, tracking him for 20 minutes while camoflaged in the bush, and murdered him in cold blood with a high powered weapon from a distance of more than a football field. Ezequiel stood no chance against these Marines and posed no threat to them, had he even known they were there. Whatever was the real reason for their actions, when the trigger was pulled, these Marines crossed the line. One cannot defend people when you are murdering them. Now the military is closing ranks, desperate to keep the lid on this as much as possible. Crying big crocodile tears, they will mouth all of the right words to the family members and the country. But remember, this is same organization responsible for the lie about the Gulf of Tonkin, the lies about the veterans exposed to nuclear radiation, to Agent Orange and now to the Gulf War Illnesses. They must protect their secrets for the "good of national defense." Besides, it was only a shepherd. If the military gets its way, any truth that does finally come out will be quickly buried, and it will be back to "life as usual," for all, that is, except Ezequiel! We must not let that happen.