Second Gun In ICE Agent Murder Linked to ATF Gunwalking/Surveillance Operation

Sorry about the headline. It's vague. I'm trying to understand this story more and am having a hard time of it. But it seems very important, so I want to get it up, before I really even understand it.

Sharyl Attkisson says this isn't directly related to the Fast and Furious program -- as far as she can tell at the moment. It's another gunwalking-type operation.

Somehow another gun walked, and killed an ICE agent down the line, and... you'll never believe it, but the Administration is concealing the most basic details of it.

Even the murder victim's family is surprised to find out there's been a conviction of the gun smuggler.

Prosecutors recently sentenced a Texas man, Manuel Barba, for trafficking a weapon connected to the murder of Immigration and Customs (ICE) Agent Jaime Zapata. Nobody was more astonished to learn of the case than Zapata's parents, who didn't know that Barba had been arrested or linked to their son's murder.

"The family was obviously surprised to learn that there was a case involving a weapon linked to the Zapata incident," attorney Trey Martinez told CBS News. Martinez represents Zapata's parents and the surviving ICE agent in the assault, Victor Avila. "They were surprised they had never been contacted in the capacity as victims so they could give a response or some kind of reaction at the time of sentencing."

...

In a related development, CBS News has obtained documents showing that Barba was under ATF surveillance for at least six months before a rifle he trafficked was used in Zapata's murder. Zapata's government vehicle was ambushed by suspected cartel thugs in Mexico Feb. 15, 2011.

...

The government has kept a close hold on nearly all information surrounding Zapata's murder, denying the family's Freedom of Information requests on the basis of an ongoing investigation. The Zapata's attorney says they will keep pursuing the information by "whatever means necessary."

Video Report: This is a previous report on Zapata's killing, also filed by Atkinsson. It fills in some background.

More: From Patterico.

An old post, but good context.

Thanks for all of this to @gabrielmalor and of course @SharylAttkisson

posted by Ace at 06:14 PM

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