A home invasion by nativist vigilantes killed a man and his nine-year-old daughter, resulting in death sentences for two perpetrators.
Key Facts
- Date of attack
- May 30, 2009
- Victims
- Raul Flores Jr. (29) and Brisenia Ylianna Flores (9)
- Perpetrators' group
- Minutemen American Defense (MAD)
- Convictions
- All three assailants convicted of murder in 2011
- Sentences
- Forde and Bush: death; Gaxiola: life without parole
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Shawna Forde, leader of the nativist vigilante group Minutemen American Defense, orchestrated a home invasion in Arivaca, Arizona. The group targeted the Flores household, reportedly motivated by robbery to fund the organization's border-patrol activities. Albert Gaxiola and Jason Eugene Bush participated in planning and carrying out the attack.
On May 30, 2009, Forde, Bush, and Gaxiola entered the Flores home under false pretenses. They shot and killed Raul Flores Jr., age 29, and his nine-year-old daughter Brisenia. Gina Gonzalez, the wife and mother, was wounded but survived after exchanging gunfire with the intruders, striking Bush in the process.
All three perpetrators were tried and convicted of murder in 2011. Shawna Forde and Jason Eugene Bush were sentenced to death, while Albert Gaxiola received life in prison without parole. The case drew national attention to dangers posed by extremist anti-immigration vigilante groups operating along the U.S.–Mexico border.