Driver killed after fleeing Texas Border Patrol checkpoint and shooting at officers, law enforcement says

By Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN

(CNN) — A man was killed Wednesday after fleeing a US Border Patrol checkpoint near El Paso, Texas, and firing at law enforcement, a spokesperson with the local sheriff’s office said.

The man first began shooting at agents who were performing vehicle checks at the Sierra Blanca checkpoint, located on a remote stretch of the US-Mexico border about 90 miles east of El Paso, a spokesperson with the Culberson County Sheriff’s Office said.

After opening fire, the driver sped away from the checkpoint, sparking a vehicle and helicopter chase down Interstate 10, the spokesperson said.

The chase ended about 70 miles away near Kent after law enforcement performed a pit maneuver, she said. As officers asked the driver to exit the vehicle, the man began shooting at law enforcement, prompting one officer to shoot and kill the driver, according to the spokesperson.

Texas State Troopers, Border Patrol agents and members of the Culberson County Sheriff’s Office were involved in the chase. It is unclear which agency fired the fatal shot.

The shooting comes as immigration enforcement officers face on-the-job threats that the Department of Homeland Security says have increased during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, though it’s not clear whether the stepped-up enforcement was a factor in Wednesday’s incident.

There is no current risk to the public, the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a post on X.

CNN has sought more information from the DHS and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The checkpoint where the shooting began boasts a “first-of-its-kind” vehicle barrier system, which was installed in January. The semi-autonomous barrier is intended to prevent vehicles from fleeing at high speeds from the checkpoint, CBP has said.

Though the incident occurred on the US side of the checkpoint, it is unclear whether the new barrier was involved.

This story has been updated with additional information.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.