Photo: PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP / Getty Images
A Latino agent of the Border Patrol was killed by a vehicle while providing assistance in a traffic accident in the Southern California desert, the agency said Tuesday.
Alejandro Flores-Bañuelos was on the highway 86 of Santon City for “a period limited visibility ”when he was hit by a vehicle passing by the scene of the accident, according to a statement.
It is with a heavy heart that we mourn the passing of one of our own, Border Patrol Agent Alejandro Flores-Bañuelos, a former Marine & 12 year veteran of the US Border Patrol.
He served his country & community with honor, and his sacrifice will never be forgotten.🇺🇸 # HonorFirst pic.twitter.com/CixmCTR2la
– USBP Chief Patrol Agent Gregory K. Bovino (@USBPChiefELC) March 16, 2021
When an Imperial County Sheriff’s Deputy arrived at the scene, he requested medical assistance. But the death of Flores-Bañuelos was declared after an ambulance took him to a hospital in the area.
Flores-Bañuelos was assigned to the Indio station in the El Centro sector of the Border Patrol . He leaves behind a wife and three children.
“It is with a deep sense of loss that we mourn the death of one of our own, Border Patrol agent Alejandro Flores,” said the chief agent of El Centro sector patrol, Gregory Bovino. “The men and women of the El Centro Sector will be deeply impacted by this tragic loss.”
The statement adds that the California Highway Patrol is investigating the accident. Salton City is on the west shore of the Salton Sea.