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Mexican woman shot in head by US Border Patrol files claim

Marisol Garcia Alcantara pauses during an interview at her home in the municipality of La Paz, Mexico state, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021. Attorneys for the 37-year-old, who was shot in the head by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in June in Nogales, Mexico, announced on Dec. 15 that they filed a claim seeking damages from the U.S government.
AP Photo/Marco Ugarte
Marisol Garcia Alcantara pauses during an interview at her home in the municipality of La Paz, Mexico state, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021. Attorneys for the 37-year-old, who was shot in the head by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in June in Nogales, Mexico, announced on Dec. 15 that they filed a claim seeking damages from the U.S government.

Attorneys for a Mexican woman who was shot in the head by a Border Patrol agent and survived have filed a claim against the U.S government as a precursor to a lawsuit.

The claim by Marisol García Alcántara against U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the June 16 shooting in Nogales, Arizona, is a necessary legal step.

The CBP said it cannot comment because the shooting is being investigated internally.

The shooting has drawn attention to units known as Critical Incident Teams, which collect information about agents' use of force.

Critics call them “shadow units” protecting the agency.