Crime Log: Murdered border-crosser was smuggling drugs

A man killed last week by bandits west of Green Valley was smuggling drugs into the country, authorities said.

The border-crosser was killed Monday night by bandits who attacked his group in the desert about 5 miles west of Calle Tres and Montana Vista, said Border Patrol spokesperson Rob Daniels. Nine of the 11 men in the group had been carrying bundles of marijuana, he said.

A search was initiated Wednesday night after two of the smugglers contacted the Mexican Consulate in Tucson and reported the shooting.

The consulate contacted Border Patrol, who sent out agents with cadaver dogs and found the man’s body Thursday morning. The case was then turned over to the Pima County Sheriff’s homicide unit, Daniels said.

Because the body was partially decomposed, authorities were unable to determine how the man died, though they believe he was shot in the stomach and in the chin, Daniels said.

The border-crosser, described as a young man wearing camouflage clothing, has not been identified. An autopsy will be done to determine the cause of death, said Pima County Sheriff’s spokesperson Dawn Hanke.

The bandits haven’t been located.

A Green Valley man may face a possible citation for shooting a gila monster with a pistol, Pima County Sheriff’s reports said.

The man shot and killed the reptile Wednesday morning outside a nursing home in the 3100 block of Calle Dos in Green Valley.

He told police that he shoots other animals around the property that he feels may be a threat to residents at the nursing home or to his pets, reports said.

Officers reported the shooting to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, who say that in this case, killing the animal was illegal. They are still investigating the incident.

Gila monsters are on the Arizona Threatened Wildlife list, a Game and Fish spokesperson said.

A man was cited Wednesday for disorderly conduct in the Green Valley McDonald’s restaurant, Pima County Sheriff’s reports said.

Roy McClure, 64, reportedly argued with the manager for several minutes, claiming that he had been overcharged, then threw a plastic card advertisement at him.

McClure said he was overcharged 19 cents on his breakfast meal, though the manager denied any mistake.

jrichardson@gvnews.com | 547-9726