Federal Lawsuit Alleges Border Patrol Agent Shot, Killed Dog in El Paso Home
Senior Counsel Marisa Ong represents Seth Daw in a federal lawsuit covered by KVIA in the article "Federal lawsuit alleges Border Patrol agent shot, killed dog in El Paso home." The suit alleges a U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed Daw's dog, Chop, inside his El Paso home during a September 2025 search.
According to the complaint, Daw had secured Chop in the restroom before the search and told agents to let him know if they wanted to search that room so he could move his dog first. His consent to search the residence did not extend to the restroom. While Daw stepped outside to retrieve his identification, an agent allegedly reentered the home alone and shot Chop, who died 45 minutes later. Daw filed an administrative claim with Customs and Border Protection in October 2025, which the agency denied in its entirety in May 2026, leading to this lawsuit. The complaint raises claims for assault, battery, conversion and trespass to property, and negligence, and Daw seeks compensatory damages and other relief under the Federal Tort Claims Act and Texas law.
