Esequiel Hernández Jr. ( May 14 , 1979May 20 , 1997 ) was an 18-year-old American high school student killed on May 20 , 1997 by United States Marines in Redford , Texas , located approximately one mile from the United States – Mexico border . Hernández was the first American civilian to be killed by military personnel while on duty in the United States since the 1970 Kent State shootings , and led to Secretary of Defense William Cohen issuing a temporary suspension of troop patrols near the U.S. – Mexico border . The shooting inspired the 2005 movie '' The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada '' by Tommy Lee Jones , and the 2007 documentary '' The Ballad of Esequiel Hernandez ''
Kent State shootings
Kent State shootings
Esequiel Hernández Jr.