Brad Messer Commentary
8:15 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, 2003
Fourteen-year-old Ashley Villareal will be buried tomorrow on Valentine’s Day— shot dead by the DEA.
The incident is fishy. The DEA has clammed up. No statements.
Sunday night, agents had a West Side house staked out, hunting for Ashley’s father (who wasn’t there). Ashley came out to move a car from the driveway, to behind the house, by driving partway around the block. A passenger [Daniel Robles] says Ashley pulled out onto San Joaquin street without turning on her headlights.
Here’s one version: thinking the passenger might be the man they were hunting, DEA agents drove two vehicles toward Ashley’s car. She rammed the pickup ahead, then reversed and rammed the car behind. Another version says agents on foot shot at her from the front, causing her to veer into a parked police car. One bullet hit Ashley Villereal’s head. The back of her head.
A neighbor says she thought it was a gang shooting, until she saw agents putting on DEA vests after the gunfire. Another point is that no arrest warrant was sought until the day after the shooting.
The DEA will investigate itself. That’ll take months. They still haven’t finished investigating another car-ramming shooting here last October 3rd.
The DEA should follow the example of the space agency. Tell us what it thinks it knows, what does and doesn’t seem to add up, which facts are unchallenged.
The silence only encourages suspicions.
Bad suspicions.
Brad Messer— commentary, KTSA.
San Antonio Express-News 2/12/2003
"Grieving family blasts feds over claims in shooting of teen"
"Girl shot at DEA stakeout is dead"
Nando News / Associated Press 2/12/2003
"Texas teen mistakenly shot by drug agents dies"
San Antonio Express-News 2/11/2003
"DEA says oncoming vehicle led to shooting"