Instead, an agent shot and killed the family dog.<\/p>\n
More than two months after the shooting the homeowner, 26, is waiting for answers and demanding accountability for why his beloved seven-year-old Rottweiler was slain on September 9 in El Paso\u2019s<\/a> tree-lined Upper Valley.<\/p>\n The dog\u2019s owner does not want his name used for privacy reasons. His attorney said he was cooperative when agents arrived and told him they were investigating a tip regarding \u201calien smuggling<\/a> at the residence,\u201d something the homeowner denied.<\/p>\n \u201cHe told agents they could come in, \u201d said Marisa Ong, the family\u2019s attorney, who works with the national law firm, Singleton Schreiber. But first, the homeowner said he would put his dog Chop in a bathroom according to Ong. He pointed to agents where his dog was.<\/p>\n Though his owner had secured Chop inside a bathroom, the dog was released by a Border Patrol agent and shot from a distance of about 18 feet, Ong told KTEP News.<\/p>\n U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed in a statement that on September 9th \u201ca U.S. Border Patrol agent was involved in a use of force incident in El Paso, Texas \u2026. The incident involved a canine.\u201d<\/p>\n The use of force is currently under review by CBP\u2019s Office of Professional Responsibility in accordance with CBP policies according to the statement that read in part: \u201cCBP takes such incidents seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n The killing of Chop, the dog, shows that it\u2019s not just migrants and children, but also family pets caught up in the Trump administration\u2019s aggressive immigration enforcement effort in cities across the country, from Los Angeles, Chicago<\/a> to San Antonio and Charlotte.<\/p>\n The incident led to a national outcry on social media platforms filled with videos of agents tackling people on city streets, breaking car windows, and arresting immigrants at businesses, even at a home installing Christmas lights on a tree in Charlotte. The scenes have become all-too common as the Trump administration tries to carry out mass deportations. Use of force incidents by federal agents spiked this summer but then started to decline, according data from CBP. U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas sent a letter to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner and the Border Patrol Chief on November 18th requesting an update on the investigation into the lethal use of force at a private residence in El Paso.<\/p>\n \u201cThis incident is inexcusable,\u201d Escobar wrote. \u201cA family lost their beloved dog to the actions of a Border Patrol officer, and we are still unaware of what, if anything, the agency is doing to rectify the situation or prevent a similar one from happening again.\u201d<\/p>\n The incident in EL Paso\u2019s pristine Upper Valley began when agents knocked on the man\u2019s door. The owner was cooperative and told the agents they could come inside the home after he confined Chop.<\/p>\n \u201cHe showed them the exact bathroom he was in. And he told them if they wanted to search that bathroom to let him know and he would move Chop,\u201d Ong said.<\/p>\n The agents asked the homeowner to step outside. He agreed and went to his truck parked in the driveway to get his identification. Right then, he heard a gunshot, Ong said.<\/p>\n When the man rushed back into his home, agents tried to restrain him, according to Ong.<\/p>\n \u201cHe saw the agent that had entered the house. He had his gun drawn. He pointed his gun at my client. And then he saw his dog Chop laying on the floor yelping in pain.\u201d Ong said.<\/p>\n Chop bled to death.<\/p>\n By all accounts the Rottweiler had been an \u201cextremely friendly\u201d dog according to Ong.<\/p>\n Border Patrol did not find any evidence of illegal activity at the home.<\/p>\n Ong said the family is fully cooperating with the CBP Office of Professional Responsibility investigation as it waits for answers.<\/p>\n![\"El](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/XWNZZQUWXRFZHM6CIVVTX2UMAY.jpeg\")
According to reports, the officer who fired the shot fled while the family screamed for help.@keithedwards<\/p>\n
![\"El](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/HVWOQR2RGRHQRPZQAZXJ555ZCY.jpg\")
Chop the dog.@keithedwards<\/p>\n