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Driver Fleeing Border Patrol Killed in Shootout

Suspect allegedly fired at officers, civilian cars in West Texas
Posted Mar 5, 2026 8:55 AM CST
Man Killed After Texas Highway Shootout With Officers
A US Border Patrol patrol along the US-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, near the Paso del Norte International Bridge, seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026.   (AP Photo/Christian Chavez)

A traffic stop at a West Texas border checkpoint turned deadly Wednesday after a driver sped off and opened fire on pursuing officers, authorities say. Officials identified the man as 33-year-old James Douglas McMillan of Greenfield, Wis., who had pulled into the US Border Patrol checkpoint in Sierra Blanca but took off when a K-9 signaled on his vehicle and agents directed him to a secondary inspection, the New York Times reports. A rep from the Culberson County Sheriff's Office told CNN the driver opened fire inside the checkpoint.

Texas state troopers and aerial units joined the high-speed chase along Interstate 10 around 10:30am local time, Department of Public Safety spokesperson Sheridan Nolen told the Times. McMillan allegedly shot from his vehicle at troopers, Border Patrol agents, local deputies, and passing motorists. Officers fired back and used a vehicle tactic to force him to stop some 70 miles from where the chase began, Border Patrol said, per CNN.

McMillan then barricaded himself, ultimately pointing his weapon at law enforcement, who fatally shot him, Nolen said. It was not immediately known which officers fired their weapons. No officers or civilians were injured. The car McMillan was driving had been reported stolen in Arizona, authorities say. The checkpoint at which the incident began boasts the "first-of-its-kind" vehicle barrier system meant to stop fleeing vehicles, CNN reports, noting it's unclear whether it was in use.

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