A grand jury has handed down a 15-count indictment against the passenger of the sports utility vehicle whose driver was shot and killed by federal agents at the end of a high-speed chase last month.
Jose Adolfo Gonzalez Fabian was charged this morning in federal court with allegedly helping smuggle three undocumented immigrants into the country for personal financial gain.
Gonzalez was the passenger in the black Dodge Durango driven by Oscar Abraham Garcia Barros – also known in court filings as Oscar Gamiz Bargas – when Garcia was shot and killed by federal agents. Border Patrol agents began chasing the vehicle, which authorities say was being used to smuggle undocumented immigrants to various parts of California, after getting a tip that it had picked up a group of people near the border.
Agents had surrounded the vehicle when it suddenly moved forward. Agents fired at the driver, killing him. The San Diego Police Department is investigating the incident and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting Gonzalez, will determine based on that investigation whether the shooting was justified.
Read the indictment here.