Esequiel Hernández Jr
Encyclopedia
Esequiel Hernández Jr was an 18-year-old American
high school
student killed on May 20, 1997 by United States Marines in Redford, Texas
, located approximately one mile from the United States–Mexico border
. Hernández was the first American civilian to be killed by active United States Armed Forces
while they were on duty since the student massacre
at Kent State University
in 1970 and led to Defense Secretary William Cohen
issuing a temporary suspension of troop patrols near the U.S.–Mexico border
. The shooting inspired the 2005 movie The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
by Tommy Lee Jones
, and the 2007 documentary
The Ballad of Esequiel Hernandez
.
d in ghillie suit
s came upon Hernández herding
goats. The camouflaged Marines observed the 18 year old high school student from concealment at a distance of approximately 200 yards maintaining radio contact with their unit. Hernández, who was carrying a .22 caliber rifle that family members said he used to fend off predators, shot in the direction of the Marines. Continuing to call for Border Patrol assistance, the Marines proceeded to track Hernández for twenty minutes, until the Marine fire-team leader, Cpl. Clemente Bañuelos, shot and killed Hernandez. The bullet entered Hernandez' armpit on his right side.
examined the fatal shooting and considered criminal charges against the four Marines, but did not indict any of the Marines involved in the shooting. The Justice Department subsequently dropped its investigation. The Marines also investigated the killing. In 1998, the U.S. government
paid his family $1.9 million to settle a wrongful death claim. The U.S. Marine who fatally shot Hernández was not charged.
The Ballad of Esequiel Hernandez
explores his killing by Marines, analysing both sides of the issue. It won best-documentary awards at the Mexico City Film Festival and Santa Fe Film Festival
in 2007 and at the El Paso festival in 2008. It is directed by Kieran Fitzgerald and narrated by Tommy Lee Jones
. The documentary premiered July 8, 2008 on PBS.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
student killed on May 20, 1997 by United States Marines in Redford, Texas
Redford, Texas
Redford is a census-designated place in Presidio County, Texas, United States. The population was 132 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Redford is located at ....
, located approximately one mile from the United States–Mexico border
United States–Mexico border
The United States–Mexico border is the international border between the United States and Mexico. It runs from Imperial Beach, California, and Tijuana, Baja California, in the west to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and Brownsville, Texas, in the east, and traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from major...
. Hernández was the first American civilian to be killed by active United States Armed Forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
while they were on duty since the student massacre
Kent State shootings
The Kent State shootings—also known as the May 4 massacre or the Kent State massacre—occurred at Kent State University in the city of Kent, Ohio, and involved the shooting of unarmed college students by members of the Ohio National Guard on Monday, May 4, 1970...
at Kent State University
Kent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
in 1970 and led to Defense Secretary William Cohen
William Cohen
William Sebastian Cohen is an author and American politician from the U.S. state of Maine. A Republican, Cohen served as Secretary of Defense under Democratic President Bill Clinton.-Early life and education:...
issuing a temporary suspension of troop patrols near the U.S.–Mexico border
United States–Mexico border
The United States–Mexico border is the international border between the United States and Mexico. It runs from Imperial Beach, California, and Tijuana, Baja California, in the west to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and Brownsville, Texas, in the east, and traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from major...
. The shooting inspired the 2005 movie The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is a 2005 American drama film directed by Tommy Lee Jones and written by Guillermo Arriaga. It stars Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Pepper, Julio Cedillo, and Dwight Yoakam....
by Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive....
, and the 2007 documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
The Ballad of Esequiel Hernandez
The Ballad of Esequiel Hernandez
The Ballad of Esequiel Hernández is a 2007 American documentary film that investigates the murky assassination of Esequiel Hernández Jr by US Marines...
.
Death
U.S. Marines on drug patrol heavily camouflageCamouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
d in ghillie suit
Ghillie suit
A ghillie suit, wookie suit, yowie suit, or camo tent is a type of camouflage clothing designed to resemble heavy foliage. Typically, it is a net or cloth garment covered in loose strips of cloth or twine, sometimes made to look like leaves and twigs, and optionally augmented with scraps of foliage...
s came upon Hernández herding
Herding
Herding is the act of bringing individual animals together into a group , maintaining the group and moving the group from place to place—or any combination of those. While the layperson uses the term "herding", most individuals involved in the process term it mustering, "working stock" or...
goats. The camouflaged Marines observed the 18 year old high school student from concealment at a distance of approximately 200 yards maintaining radio contact with their unit. Hernández, who was carrying a .22 caliber rifle that family members said he used to fend off predators, shot in the direction of the Marines. Continuing to call for Border Patrol assistance, the Marines proceeded to track Hernández for twenty minutes, until the Marine fire-team leader, Cpl. Clemente Bañuelos, shot and killed Hernandez. The bullet entered Hernandez' armpit on his right side.
Investigation
A congressional investigation into the killing was scheduled for September 1997. A grand juryGrand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
examined the fatal shooting and considered criminal charges against the four Marines, but did not indict any of the Marines involved in the shooting. The Justice Department subsequently dropped its investigation. The Marines also investigated the killing. In 1998, the U.S. government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
paid his family $1.9 million to settle a wrongful death claim. The U.S. Marine who fatally shot Hernández was not charged.
The Ballad of Esequiel Hernandez
The 2007 documentaryDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
The Ballad of Esequiel Hernandez
The Ballad of Esequiel Hernandez
The Ballad of Esequiel Hernández is a 2007 American documentary film that investigates the murky assassination of Esequiel Hernández Jr by US Marines...
explores his killing by Marines, analysing both sides of the issue. It won best-documentary awards at the Mexico City Film Festival and Santa Fe Film Festival
Santa Fe Film Festival
The Santa Fe Film Festival is a Non-Profit Organization which presents important world cinema in a non-commercial context that represents aesthetic, critical and entertainment standards highlighting New Mexican film, new American and foreign film including revivals, retrospectives, independent...
in 2007 and at the El Paso festival in 2008. It is directed by Kieran Fitzgerald and narrated by Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive....
. The documentary premiered July 8, 2008 on PBS.
External references
- PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer broadcast August 13, 1997 Casualties of the Drug War
- Oversight Investigation of the Death of Esequiel Hernandez, Jr.: A Report of Chairman Lamar Smith to the Subcommittee on Immigration & Claims of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, 150th congress. United States Government Printing, January 1998. ISBN 0-16-057719-5 ISBN 978-0-16-057719-2
See also
- Posse Comitatus ActPosse Comitatus ActThe Posse Comitatus Act is an often misunderstood and misquoted United States federal law passed on June 18, 1878, after the end of Reconstruction. Its intent was to limit the powers of local governments and law enforcement agencies from using federal military personnel to enforce the laws of...
- Joint Task Force NorthJoint Task Force NorthJoint Task Force North , formerly Joint Task Force Six , is a multi-service operation by the United States Department of Defense for counterdrug and anti-terrorist operations. JTF-North is headquartered at Biggs Army Airfield, Fort Bliss, Texas...
- War on drugsWar on DrugsThe War on Drugs is a campaign of prohibition and foreign military aid and military intervention being undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, intended to both define and reduce the illegal drug trade...