Two Border Patrol agents from the Yuma sector have been recognized for their bravery in the line of duty by the District of Arizona attorney, according to Chief Patrol Agent Sean L. McGoffin. The awards underscore the "heroic actions taken in furtherance of public safety."
McGoffin stated, "U.S. Attorney Gary M. Restaino presented two Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents with the Valor Award for their heroic acts following a shooting at a house party in May. SBPA A. Ledezma and BPA R. Banuelos were off duty when they rendered aid to gunshot victims. #HonorFirst @USAO_AZ."
In a Facebook post about the incident, it was reported that Ledezma rushed to the residence where a house party was taking place and found a gunshot victim. He performed CPR on the victim until additional emergency personnel arrived. Banuelos also encountered a gunshot victim and applied a tourniquet to help mitigate the bleeding. Restaino praised their actions saying, "They had no obligation to serve and yet they did serve," he said in the post. "It shows valor, it shows courage, and it also shows compassion."
ABC News reported that two people were killed and five were injured during this incident. A 19-year-old man named Danny Garcia was pronounced dead upon arrival at Yuma Regional Medical Center by private vehicle while another 20-year-old man, Ande Blackthunder, was found at the scene suffering from a gunshot wound and later pronounced dead at the same hospital. Four other teenagers aged between 15 to 19 were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The Police Tribune reported that two suspects have been arrested in connection with this shooting incident and police had previously received a noise complaint about the party.
Yuma Police Chief Thomas Garrity addressed this issue during a press conference regarding the shooting: "There was a lot of parties going on throughout the Yuma community with all the graduations and stuff, so yes, there was a call about 55 minutes beforehand, but the officers were also all tied up on the other calls for service," Garrity said. "There was no indication that there was any type of violence or anything going wrong, which would’ve made it a priority call at that point."
