Tribe Demanding Answers, Justice for Member Shot 38 Times by US Border Patrol Agents

Conflicting narratives paint different pictures of Tohono O'odham Nation member's death in Arizona

Mattias family spokeswoman Ofelia Rivas stands while propping a sign with a picture of Ray Mattia, who was shot and killed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents on May 18, 2023. The photo was taken during a protest in front of the Ajo Border Patrol Station in Why, Ariz., on May 27, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

WHY, Ariz.—Yvonne Nevarez remembers her late uncle Raymond Mattia as a proud Tohono O'odham Nation member who always took a stand against injustice.

He was a kind, respectful, peace-loving man, she said, making his shooting death by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents even harder to accept.