[Gordongekko909]

Maybe I'm reading this article wrong... what crime did the border agents commit, and how did they try to cover it up?

[skip_intro]

Maybe I'm reading this article wrong... what crime did the border agents commit, and how did they try to cover it up?

They tried to apprehend an illegal alien drug smuggler.

[PRND21]

In El Paso, Texas, two Border Patrol agents who shot a fleeing drug courier in the buttocks were found guilty March 9 of assault, weapons crimes, tampering with evidence, and deprivation of civil rights. Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean face at least 10 years in federal prison for shooting Osvaldo Andrade Davila, a Mexican citizen, as he fled back across the border when they interrupted his effort to carry a package of drugs into the US. Ramos and Compean also conspired to cover up the shooting by removing spent shell casings from the scene. The pair turned down a plea bargain for 18-month sentences. They have been suspended with pay since the February 2005 incident, and Border Patrol officials said they will now consider firing them.

Source

[BeHoldAPaleHorse]

Maybe I'm reading this article wrong... what crime did the border agents commit, and how did they try to cover it up?

First, they shot an unarmed fleeing man in the back in a situation that does not look as if it called for the use of deadly force.

Second, they proceeded to alter the crime scene by picking expended brass. Law enforcement officers know that they're not supposed to do that, as it makes determining exactly what happened impossible.

Altering the crime scene to conceal one's actions or to make them look more favorable is always considered to be consciousness of guilt.