Family Of Murdered Border Patrol Agent Speaks Out

November 09, 2011

TUCSON, Ariz. -- The family of murdered Border Patrol agent Brian Terry is speaking out after watching Tuesday’s congressional hearing on the Fast and Furious gun walking program. They believe the U.S. Department of Justice should take responsibility for the murder.

Up until now, Carolyn Terry hasn’t said much about the murder of her stepson which is still being investigated. Then she watched Attorney General Eric Holder grilled over the Fast and Furious gun walking scheme.

Holder said he regretted the death.

“It is not fair, however, to assume the mistakes that happened in Fast and Furious directly led to the death of Agent Terry," he told the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Carolyn Terry said she had a physical reaction to the testimony: “It just made me sick."

Carolyn Terry lives in Michigan. She said the justice department has tried to minimize the aftershocks of the gun walking program.

More than 2,000 guns - many high-powered, semi-automatic weapons - were lost in Fast and Furious. Two of those guns turned up in the desert where her stepson was murdered.

Photo courtesy U.S. Border Patrol.
Slain Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.

“He may never want to apologize to our family for what they’ve done, but he’s going to have to take ownership for Fast and Furious because he’s the one who’s responsible for it," Carolyn Terry said.

The stepmother wants the top law enforcement official in the country to take responsibility for the growing scandal.

"You know, they think they can move these people out of these positions and it’s going to go away. Well, it’s not," Carolyn Terry said. "Whether he knew about it or he didn’t know about it; he’s in charge of all them people and he should have known about it.”

Brian Terry was killed last December near Nogales. So far, only one person has been identified and charged with his murder.