$20,000 reward being offered for info on murder of Border Patrol Agent

Rogelio Martinez, 36.
Rogelio Martinez, 36.(KOSA)
Published: Nov. 19, 2017 at 4:57 PM CST
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12:15 p.m. Update:

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is now offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the murder of Agent Rogelio Martinez.

“We owe a great deal of gratitude to the brave men and women of the United States Border Patrol who serve every day to protect our homeland,” said Governor Abbott. “Cecilia and I offer our deepest condolences to the families of the agents killed and seriously injured in this attack. As authorities continue their investigation, it is important that they receive any and all information to help apprehend and deliver swift justice to those responsible.”

To be eligible for the cash rewards, anyone with information on fugitives can provide anonymous tips in three different ways:

Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477)

Text the letters ‘DPS’ - followed by your tip - to 274637 (CRIMES) from your cell phone

Submit a web tip by visiting

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11:50 a.m. Update:

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxon released the following statement on the death of Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez:

“I wish to extend my deepest condolences to the family of Agent Rogelio Martinez killed in the line of duty yesterday in Texas. He served our country faithfully and will forever be remembered as a heroic officer. Angela and I are praying for his family and his colleagues as they mourn his loss.”

9:30 a.m. Update:

We're working to learn more about what happened before a Border Patrol agent was killed and his partner injured late Saturday night.

CNN reports Rogelio Martinez, 36, and his partner were responding to activity while on patrol in the Big Bend Sector, which runs along the US-Mexico border, and the partner reported they were both injured, the agency said. The agents were patrolling near Interstate 10, in the Van Horn station area of the sector.

Customs officials are still not saying what type of activity the agents were responding to.

A tweet from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott expressing his condolences described the incident as an "attack."

"Our prayers are with the families of this Border Patrol Agent who was killed & the other who was injured in this attack in Texas," the governor wrote on Twitter.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz also called the incident an "attack" in a statement.

"This is a stark reminder of the ongoing threat that an unsecure border poses to the safety of our communities and those charged with defending them. We are grateful for the courage and sacrifice of our border agents who have dedicated their lives to keeping us safe. I remain fully committed to working with the Border Patrol to provide them with all the resources they need to safeguard our nation," Cruz said.

Carlos Diaz, a spokesman for the CBP, would not describe the incident in any further detail to CNN, saying the FBI is investigating.

U.S. Border Agent and President of the National Border Patrol Council Brandon Judd tells Breitbart News the agents were tracking a group of illegal aliens when they were attacked with rocks. CBS 7 has not been able to verify that piece of information independently, nor has any other news outlet.

The Border Patrol's Special Operations Group and agents from CBP's Air and Marine Operations were searching the area for potential suspects or witnesses, the agency said.

UPDATE 8:30AM

Still no details as to what happened Saturday night before Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez and his partner radioed for help.

Federal agents spent all of Sunday investigating along Interstate 10 a few miles outside of Van Horn.

A fallen officer website states that Agent Martinez and his partner were attacked late Saturday, though that information has not been independently confirmed by CBS 7.

The FBI has taken over the investigation. A representative with the U.S. Border Patrol says that both Agent Martinez and his partner were transported to a hospital where Martinez died. His partner remains in critical condition.

CBS 7 has obtained a photo of Agent Martinez. He served with the Border Patrol for four years. He was 36-years-old.

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The FBI has taken over the investigation of the death of one U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent and the serious injury of another.

Border Protection spokesman Carlos Diaz confirmed to The Associated Press in an email that the FBI was in charge of the investigation.

Agent Rogelio Martinez and his partner were transported to a local hospital Sunday after sustaining injuries while on duty in the Big Bend area of Texas. Martinez died and his unidentified partner is in serious condition.

Spokesman Douglas Mosier says Martinez was 36 years old and from El Paso. He had been a Border Patrol agent since August, 2013.

No details of how they sustained injuries have been released.

3 p.m.

Authorities are searching Texas' Big Bend for potential suspects and witnesses after a U.S. Customs Border Patrol agent was fatally injured responding to activity there.

Authorities did not provide any details Sunday on what caused the agent's injuries or what led to them.

Border Patrol spokesman Douglas Mosier says in a statement that agent Rogelio Martinez and his partner were transported to a local hospital, where Martinez died. Martinez's partner is in serious condition. His name wasn't released.

Border Patrol records show that Big Bend accounted for about 1 percent of the more than 61,000 apprehensions its agents made along the Southwest border between October 2016 and May 2017. The region's mountains and the Rio Grande make it a difficult area for people to cross illegally into the U.S. from Mexico.