Northeast El Paso man shot dead in ATF raid accused of illegally making, selling and taking weapons to Mexico

EL PASO, Texas -- Homeowners in a northeast El Paso neighborhood were shocked to learn illegal weapons were possibly being manufactured and sold out of one of their neighbor’s homes, destined for Mexico.

“It saddens me but I’m not surprised. Why's that? Number one, there’s money in it. Number two. I think that people that live over here know that there’s a lot of violence in Mexico, in Juarez, in that area so they see it as an opportunity,” said neighbor Jeanine Mucha, who lives near the home raided by agents.

Federal agents spent much of Wednesday taking evidence out of 62-year-old Paul Jarvis’s home in the 4500 block of Capricorn Drive. He was shot and killed during a raid by authorities on Tuesday.

Police said Jarvis was fatally shot after he shot and killed a U.S. Border Patrol police dog.

His home was raided because federal authorities believe weapons were being manufactured there and then sold and taken to Juarez.

Agents with the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) arrested a person earlier this year who reportedly told them he purchased guns from Jarvis on several occasions and took them to Juarez.

Juarez Mayor Armando Cabada reacted last month to the crime rate and number of homicides in Juarez by saying many of the crimes happening in his city were being committed with weapons illegally entering Mexico.

ATF investigators confirm 70% of the weapons used to commit crimes in Mexico originate in the U.S.

But they also acknowledge that trying to stop people from manufacturing and selling illegal firearms is often difficult. For example, ATF officials indicated they ran a Federal Firearms License check, as well as a National Firearms Act check on Jarvis, which resulted in negative findings on both.

Joe Savage, another neighbor of Jarvis', says he and his family have stopped visiting Juarez because of the crime there. Still, homicides there, which officials admit are on the rise, are affecting families in El Paso.

“I know that my sons have lost classmates. And their classmates have lost family members. So it is a sad thing,” said Savage

“Unfortunately, for some people, the money is more important than human lives,” added Mucha.