Teen shot by Marine at border bled to death, autopsy finds

Copyright 1997 From staff and wire reports

SAN ANTONIO An autopsy on a high school sophomore shot to
death by a Marine antidrug squad on the TexasMexico border
shows the youth bled to death after a bullet pierced his side,
fragmented, then tore through his aorta, stomach and other
organs.

The report also shows that the bullet that struck 18yearold
Ezequiel Hernandez Jr. entered on the right side of his chest,
then traveled toward the left side of his body on two divergent
paths.

Prosecutors have said the wound indicates the righthanded teen
ager, who fired two shots with a .22caliber rifle before he was
killed, was not aiming at the Marines when he was hit.

District Attorney Albert Valadez of Fort Stockton intends to
present evidence next month to a grand jury, which will decide
whether to charge the soldier suspected in the shooting, Cpl.
Clemente Banuelos, and his three fellow Marines.

The autopsy failed to find any substances in Hernandez's blood,
except maybe "a trace of coffee," said Daniel Bodine, justice of
the peace in Presidio. "Everything came out clean."

Authorities have not suspected Hernandez of any drugrelated
activity.

Bodine received the report Monday. The Texas Rangers, who are
investigating the shooting, said they have not yet received it.

Hernandez, a Presidio High School student, was killed May 20
while herding his goats within shouting distance of his family's
home in Redford, a farming community near Big Bend National Park.

The autopsy did not reveal how long the youth lived after he was
shot. Investigators say the Marines did not perform first aid and
waited 22 minutes before contacting medical help.

Military officials say the four heavily camouflaged soldiers,
dispatched to the remote area on a surveillance mission, had no
choice but to shoot Hernandez.

But investigators have raised questions about the series of
events, saying the evidence does not match the Marines' story.
Although they claim they acted in selfdefense, the Marines
followed Hernandez, from a distance, for more than 20 minutes
after he fired his rifle, investigators said.

Though they agree that Hernandez did fire twice, they are
awaiting the results of tests to determine whether there was
gunpowder residue on the teenager's body, which would help
verify that he fired his gun the day he was killed.

They are also checking for metal impressions that would have been
left on his body if he had been holding and firing his weapon.