MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Man who illegally crossed U.S.-Canadian border identified

Mar 20, 2015, 12:15 PM | Updated: 3:47 pm

The man who was killed while trying to illegally cross the U.S.-Canada border near Sumas Thursday has been identified.

The Whatcom County coroner identified the man as Jamison E. Childress of British Columbia, The Bellingham Herald reports.

Childress, 20, was wanted for murder, according to the Herald.

Childress showed “erratic” behavior, according to authorities. When contacted by border patrol agents, Childress sprayed an unknown substance to try and escape, authorities say.

Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo would not comment on the specifics of where the Childress was from. He said the man entered the U.S. illegally from Canada.

Childress is the second Canadian resident accused of murder, who has garnished attention in Washington.

Daniel Paul is still at large after being accused of killing his girlfriend and could have fled to Washington.

“This incident just highlights the dangers [agents] face every day,” Elfo said.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Childress was approached by two border agents after setting off ground sensors when crossing the border on Thursday afternoon. The agency said he displayed “erratic and threatening” behavior toward the agents and hit one of them with an incapacitating spray.

The agency said one of the officers then shot and killed Childress.

Sumas is about 100 miles north of Seattle.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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