EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – It was a cool Sunday morning when brothers Julian and Jorge Rodriguez decided to go out and get some food to go. The two U.S.-born El Paso residents were in Juarez, Mexico visiting their mother. They often did so in a region where the older generation frequently lives on one side of the border and their grown children on the other. Family seeks justice for American killed in Juarez by Mexican officer The two young adults and a friend rode a loud metallic blue Ford Mustang on the streets of Juarez’s Melchor Ocampo neighborhood when they saw a man in the middle of the street carrying what appeared to be an assault rifle. “When we saw an armed civilian with a vest — we did not see a police badge or nothing — that’s why we got scared,” Jorge Rodriguez said. “In Mexico, in Juarez, there have been many cases, many situations, so we got scared and we fled.” Mexican officer reportedly shoots US citizen dead in Juarez A security camera captured the moment when the Mustang comes to a halt, makes a sharp left and the driver floors the gas pedal as the vehicle speeds in reverse. The Mustang then shoots forward coming within inches of the armed man. But from his vantage point, the "armed civilian” saw a completely different sequence of events. The Chihuahua state police officer was in the middle of the street monitoring traffic as a state prosecutor served a warrant in a home. Tren de Aragua gang linked to murder of immigration agent He has told his superiors the driver of the vehicle tried to run him over, so he opened fire with an AR-15 rifle. Julian Rodriguez was shot in the head and crashed the Mustang into a parked vehicle. His brother got grazed by bullets in his right hand as the third occupant is heard yelling, “No, no, no!” as he tried to document the incident on his cellphone. “At no time did we have a gun. I had a ski mask, but that’s because I have fractures and nails on my skull. I was in a serious accident, I was in a coma,” Jorge Rodriguez said. “What happened (Sunday) is that we came out of the store and we were shot; the shots were meant to kill.” Agents stop Kia Rio with 9 migrants crammed inside The Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office has sided with the Americans. Late Wednesday afternoon, its prosecutors charged Arturo Ivan V.S. with the Jan. 5 homicide of Julian Rodriguez. Family alleges 'smear campaign' against victim in Juarez The development puts at ease an El Paso family who fears the murder of their relative in Mexico will go unpunished and whose members on Wednesday denounced a “smear campaign” in Juarez against the victim. Allegations about drug use and arrests for burglary and possession of marijuana have appeared in various Juarez news outlets. El Paso County Jail records show he posted bond twice on misdemeanor drug charges and once for burglary of a building in 2023 and 2024. Ex-Zetas sentenced in massacre of 72 migrants "They are judging him before he consumed marijuana, but consuming marijuana does not make you a criminal," said a cousin of the victim who spoke to Border Report in an East El Paso park on condition of anonymity because she fears her family in Juarez may suffer retaliation. "We are trying to raise funds for legal representation (in Mexico) to make sure things are done according to law and to sue the state." She said Julian Rodriguez had some minor run-ins with the law, but grew up to hold three jobs before he was killed. "He did landscaping, he worked at a restaurant and he was a nursing assistant for the elderly. (In Juarez), they are trying to discredit him as someone who robs, who does all the things they say he does would not be able to hold three jobs." April, the manager at the El Paso restaurant Julian Rodriguez worked at as a griller, also vouched for the victim. She said he was a hard worker who was cheery and liked by everyone and who was known for having kind words and helping a homeless man who hangs out near the business. Border lawmaker recalls being deported as child "He was really lovable. Everyone liked him," the manager said. She asked that her last name not be use nor the restaurant named because she, too, fears Mexican police might retaliate against her family members still in Juarez. Survivor says he was beaten, threatened by Mexican cops Jorge Rodriguez told Border Report he would like the Chihuahua Attorney General's Office investigation expanded to include the officer's colleagues. High-speed DPS pursuits of smugglers put residents’ lives at risk, Escobar agrees "They beat us and they threatened our lives," he said of the officers who yanked him and the third occupant out of the Mustang. "They told us they were going to kill us. They said they would take us to a place to beat us. [....] They did not probably because I started yelling, 'They are going to kill me! They are going to kill me!'" He alleges an ambulance did not show up to assist him or his brother until half an hour after they were shot. The ambulance (crew) did not even check me, they just asked questions about the scratches on my hand," Jorge Rodriguez said. "They were cruel. I told them, I will do anything, (help) my brother. They said, 'No, he's already dead.'" Visit the BorderReport.com homepage for the latest exclusive stories and breaking news about issues along the U.S.-Mexico border He showed Border Report a cut over the right eye and his bandaged right hand. "What happened was not right. I only want justice," Jorge Rodriguez said.