IMMIGRATION

Jail warden, his brother charged in roadside shooting of Mexican migrants

Michael Sheppard, 60, is accused of firing two shotgun blasts at a group of migrants who stopped for water in West Texas

By Maria Sacchetti and Nick Miroff
Updated September 30, 2022 at 5:03 p.m. EDT | Published September 29, 2022 at 6:17 p.m. EDT



Mark Edward Sheppard, left, and Mike Thomas Sheppard are charged in the shooting of two migrants along a highway in West Texas. One of the migrants was fatally wounded. (El Paso County Sheriff's Office)

Near sundown one night this week in West Texas, a white-bearded jail warden and his twin brother allegedly drove past a group of migrants trekking through the desert. Then, authorities say, the warden stopped the truck and backed up.

Migrants scrambled to hide in the brush, and later told authorities they could hear a man’s voice cursing at them to “come out." Then the warden allegedly fired a pair of shotgun blasts in their direction. ... “Did you get him?" the warden’s brother allegedly asked him, according to a state affidavit released Friday.

A man from the group was killed, and a woman was shot in the stomach. The brothers allegedly drove away without checking to see if the bullets had hit anyone, investigators said. ... The victims’ names have not been released, but a Mexican government official said Friday that they were Mexicans who had recently entered the United States as part of a group of 13 — joining an influx of migrants that has reached record levels this year.

{snip}

Authorities identified the alleged shooter as Michael “Mike” Sheppard, the warden of a privately run detention center that for years held immigrants facing deportation. His twin brother, Mark Sheppard, allegedly was with him. The two 60-year-olds are facing manslaughter charges and are jailed in El Paso County.

{snip}

By Maria Sacchetti
Maria Sacchetti covers immigration for the Washington Post, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the court system. She previously reported for the Boston Globe, where her work led to the release of several immigrants from jail. She lived for several years in Latin America and is fluent in Spanish. Twitter https://twitter.com/mariasacchetti

By Nick Miroff
Nick Miroff covers immigration enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security for The Washington Post. He was a Post foreign correspondent in Latin America from 2010 to 2017, and has been a staff writer since 2006. Twitter https://twitter.com/NickMiroff