Hunters charged in Texas shooting had blamed immigrants

PRESIDIO, Texas – Two hunters accused in a shooting on a remote Texas ranch near the Mexican border had told authorities that they were attacked by immigrants who had entered the country illegally.

Presidio County Sheriff Danny Dominguez told Odessa television KOSA that a grand jury indicted Michael Bryant and Walker Daugherty last week on charges of using deadly conduct by discharging firearms in the direction of others.

The charges stem from a Jan. 6 incident where police responding to call about a shooting on a ranch near Candelaria found Daugherty and another man in the hunting party, Edwin Roberts, with gunshot wounds. The men were part of a group of hunters and told authorities they were attacked by people who had illegally crossed the nearby border and tried to steal an RV some of the hunters were using.

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An investigation found that Daugherty shot Roberts and Bryant shot Daugherty, Dominguez said.

The hunters' claim became fodder for a Facebook post by Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, who wrote the attack was another reason why a wall must be built to secure the Texas border to halt "violent criminals and members of drug cartels coming in."

Dominguez at the time suggested the agriculture commissioner "needs to do his job and stick to that, and I'll do my job."

Miller has attracted attention for his social media posts, and his comments about the West Texas shooting were shared more than 6,500 times before being deleted.

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Authorities say about 30 law enforcement officers searched the perimeter of the ranch where the hunters were staying, didn't find signs of people approaching the camp that night and that investigators found no evidence of "cross-border violence."