The wrongful death lawsuit filed by relatives of a migrant man shot and killed by the warden of the West Texas Detention Center ended in a settlement just before jury selection for the trial was scheduled to begin.
The lawsuit alleged the shooting was “intentional and knowing” and La Salle Corrections was liable since the warden, Mike Sheppard, was employed by the company and on duty September 27, 2022 when he fired on a group of migrants near Sierra Blanca. Details of the settlement are not public.
According to the lawsuit, Mike Sheppard shot Jesús Iván Sepúlveda Martínez in the face. The 22-year-old father, died at the scene. Brenda Berenice Casias Carrillo, 31, survived a gunshot wound to her abdomen according to investigators. They were among a group of 13 of migrants who had stopped at a reservoir near Sierra Blanca for a drink of water of when they came under fire.
Mark Sheppard pulled the trigger. His twin Mike who worked for the Sheriff’s office in a civilian job was with him and told investigators the brothers were out looking for wild animals and it was a hunting accident.
The lawsuit alleged the shooting was “intentional and knowing” and La Salle Corrections was liable since the warden was on duty the afternoon of September 27, 2022, and right after attended a water board meeting where Sheppard represented the company. La Salle Corrections manages 18 correctional facilities in Louisiana, Georgia and Texas with a total capacity for 13,000 inmates according to its website.
The West Texas Detention Center in Sierra Blanca has held people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE. The warden lost his job after the 2022 shooting.
The twins were accused of manslaughter and assault with a deadly weapon, released on bond and returned to their home state Florida. Nearly three years later, they have not faced criminal prosecution under two previous district attorneys.
Current DA Jaime Montoya declined to comment on what his office referred to as a “pending case.”
Residents in the small town Sierra Blanca interviewed by KTEP News said they find it hard to believe the brothers could not distinguish between humans and wild animals.
