A male migrant walking along a rural road in West Texas was fatally shot and a female migrant was wounded after two men in a pickup truck opened fire on a group that stopped for drinking water, Texas authorities said Thursday.
The incident occurred Tuesday evening near the town of Sierra Blanca, about 85 miles southeast of El Paso. The men attacked the migrants as they stood near a water tank along a farm road, according to Texas authorities. The female victim is recovering at the Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso.
Two brothers, Michael and Mark Sheppard, both 60, were taken into custody Thursday, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the case publicly and commented on the condition of anonymity. KVIA, an ABC affiliate in El Paso, identified Michael Sheppard as the warden of a private detention center.
The men face manslaughter charges, according to a statement provided by Lt. Elizabeth Carter, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety in El Paso. The FBI, Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security are assisting the investigation, the statement said.
Authorities have not identified the victims nor provided information about their nationality.