EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – A federal criminal complaint states that the man killed by law enforcement, after he shot and killed a canine agent on Tuesday, was selling guns knowing full well they would be trafficked to Mexico.
The complaint affidavit, filed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) against Paul Jarvis, 63, accuses him of engaging in business without a federal firearms license. His name has not been released by law enforcement, but it was listed on the federal warrant.
The address on the warrant, filed on Monday, matched the location where multiple law enforcement agencies executed an arrest and search warrant for a suspected arms dealer. Spokesmen with the El Paso Police Department and ATF confirmed that the suspect exited the house and shot at law enforcement officers and agents, killing Bulder, a canine with the Border Patrol Technical Team. The suspect was killed as officers and agents returned fire.
Police, ATF, FBI and Border Patrol all coordinated on the Tuesday morning raid.
The federal affidavit says a “cooperating defendant” recently arrested with a gun obtained from Jarvis. That same person told investigators they had bought about 30 guns from Jarvis during the past year.
The defendant also said Jarvis made the weapons at his home and then resell them without the serial number, the documents state. Investigators also obtained communications, photos, and videos from the defendant, which showed guns, silencers and plans to complete transactions for the firearms.
The cooperating defendant told investigators that Jarvis knew that the guns he sold would be trafficked to Juarez, the affidavit said.
El Paso Police officers watched the house on Capricorn and saw vehicles that matched the description given by the defendant. Meanwhile, ATF agents found that there was no record of Jarvis owning a Federal Firearms License according to a database.
Investigators from all the agencies involved in the deadly raid are still investigating the home where Jarvis and Bulder were killed.
