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Brian Terry
U.S. Border Patrol Agent Killed with Operation Fast and Furious Weapons
U.S. Border Patrol agent and former Marine who was shot and killed on December 14, 2010, during a firefight with Mexican cartel members in Peck Canyon, Arizona; two of the weapons recovered at the scene were traced to ATF Operation Fast and Furious
Overview
Brian A. Terry (1970-2010) was a U.S. Border Patrol agent and former United States Marine who was shot and killed on December 14, 2010, during an engagement with a group of armed individuals in Peck Canyon, a remote border area near Nogales, Arizona. Terry was a member of the Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC), an elite unit that conducted operations in high-risk border areas. During the encounter, Terry team encountered five suspected cartel members and a firefight ensued. Terry was struck by a single bullet and died at the scene. He was 40 years old. Two AK-47-style rifles recovered at the scene were traced back to Operation Fast and Furious, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) program that had deliberately allowed over 2,000 firearms to be sold to known straw purchasers who then transferred them to Mexican drug cartels. The operation, run out of the ATF Phoenix Field Division, was intended to track the weapons to cartel leadership but lost track of the vast majority of the guns. Terry death exposed the operation and triggered one of the largest law enforcement scandals in U.S. history. ATF whistleblower John Dodson went public in early 2011, and the resulting congressional investigation led to Attorney General Eric Holder being held in contempt of Congress in 2012 for refusing to turn over documents related to the operation. The DOJ Inspector General report found 14 ATF and DOJ officials bore responsibility for failures in the operation. Terry family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the federal government. As of 2016, only one of the approximately 2,000 weapons had been recovered from a crime scene in Mexico for every 100 that were allowed to cross the border.
Key Affiliations
Controversies & Concerns
Killed on December 14, 2010, during a firefight with cartel members in Peck Canyon, Arizona; two of the weapons recovered at the scene were traced to ATF Operation Fast and Furious
His death exposed Operation Fast and Furious, in which ATF deliberately allowed over 2,000 firearms to be sold to known straw purchasers who transferred them to Mexican drug cartels
The ATF program that led to his death was supposed to track weapons to cartel leadership but lost track of the vast majority of the guns
His killing triggered a congressional investigation that led to Attorney General Eric Holder being held in contempt of Congress in 2012
The DOJ Inspector General report found 14 ATF and DOJ officials bore responsibility for the failures that contributed to his death
His family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the federal government for facilitating the transfer of weapons used to kill him
Related Investigations (1)
Known Associates & Connections
John Dodson
ATF whistleblower who exposed Operation Fast and Furious after Terry death, going public with evidence that ATF had allowed weapons to walk to Mexican cartels
Eric Holder
Attorney General held in contempt of Congress in 2012 for refusing to turn over documents about the operation that armed Terry killers
Sources & Documentation
3 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports
U.S. DOJ Office of the Inspector General: A Review of ATF Operation Fast and Furious and Related Matters(2012-09)
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Fast and Furious: The Anatomy of a Failed Operation(2012)
New York Times: Agent Death in Arizona Sheds Light on Gun Inquiry(2011-02-02)
Personal Information
- Born
- 1970-02-26
- Birthplace
- Flat Rock, Michigan
Education
- •Schoolcraft College (Associate Degree)
- •U.S. Marine Corps training
Key Timeline
1970-02-26
Born in Flat Rock, Michigan
1988
Enlists in the United States Marine Corps; serves until 1994 as a Sergeant
2007
Joins U.S. Customs and Border Protection as a Border Patrol Agent; later joins the BORTAC tactical unit
2010-12-14
Killed during a firefight with cartel members in Peck Canyon, Arizona; two weapons recovered at the scene are later traced to ATF Operation Fast and Furious
2011-01
ATF whistleblower John Dodson goes public about Operation Fast and Furious, exposing the gunwalking program that armed the men who killed Terry
2011-06
House Oversight Committee under Darrell Issa launches formal investigation into Operation Fast and Furious
2012-06-28
Attorney General Eric Holder held in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over Operation Fast and Furious documents
2012-09
DOJ Inspector General report finds 14 ATF and DOJ officials bore responsibility for failures in the operation
2015-10
Heraclio Osorio-Arellanes, the man who fired the shot that killed Terry, is extradited from Mexico and later sentenced to life in prison