FBI Investigates Border Shooting of Mexicali Teen : Immigration: No explanation has been given for why a Border Patrol agent fired at the fence-climbing youth, who was half in and half out of the U.S.

The FBI is conducting an initial civil rights inquiry into the U.S. Border Patrol shooting of a 15-year-old Mexican youth who Mexican authorities say was halfway across the border fence in the Calexico-Mexicali area when he was shot.

The FBI has “instigated a preliminary civil rights investigation” into the Imperial County shooting, which occurred early Sunday morning, said Ron Orrantia, an FBI spokesman in San Diego.

Marco Antonio Tovar, the Mexican consul in Calexico, said the youth was apparently positioned atop the border fence when he was struck. The upper part of his body was on the U.S. side while the bottom half was on the Mexican side, Tovar said.

“Half of his body was in the United States and half of his body was in Mexico,” Tovar said. “This is a very unfortunate incident, and we have asked for a full and exhaustive investigation.”

The victim apparently fell on the Mexicali side of the border and was transported to the Social Security hospital in Mexicali, where he was in critical condition with bullet wounds to his right lung, liver and stomach area, the consul said. The youth has been identified as Eduardo Garcia Zamores, 15, of Mexicali.

Details on the shooting remained somewhat sketchy, and it was unclear why the youth was atop the fence or why he was fired upon.

The agent who shot the youth has been reassigned to desk duties pending the outcome of several investigations into the shooting, said Manuel Cazares, deputy chief Border Patrol agent in El Centro.

The Border Patrol and Calexico police refused to release the name of the officer, citing patrol policy. The agent was on duty and in uniform when he fired, the Border Patrol said.

The shooting occurred at about 1:20 a.m. Sunday, authorities said, at a spot about 1 1/2 blocks east of the Calexico Port of Entry.

“It happened right on the international border,” said Leslie Ginn, chief of the Calexico Police Department, which is also investigating the shooting.

Calexico police and the Border Patrol declined to release additional details about the shooting.

Mexican immigration authorities and the Baja California State Judicial Police are also investigating the incident.

The youth was at least the fifth foreign national shot by Border Patrol agents in the border area of California this year. The other four shootings, which resulted in two deaths, occurred in San Diego.

In a shooting that occurred Sept. 8 in San Diego, three witnesses have told Mexican authorities in sworn statements that a Border Patrol agent dragged 17-year-old Victor Adrian Mandujano from the border fence and fatally shot him in the heart, execution-style. His family in Mexico has filed a $30-million wrongful-death claim against the Border Patrol. Agency officials in San Diego said the agent shot in self-defense after the suspect attacked him and grabbed his gun.

The FBI also launched an investigation into that shooting.