Julio Cordero Obituary, Death – A retired FBI agent, identified by his family as Julio Cordero, 56, was killed during a confrontation with a high school police officer in El Paso, Texas. Cordero, a father of four, had been struggling with his mental health since retiring from the FBI, his brother Marco Cordero told Channel 9-KTSM.
The FBI El Paso Division confirmed that Cordero served as a special agent from 1996 to 2019. Special Agent Jeanette Harper expressed the bureau’s sadness over the loss, stating, “We are saddened at the loss of one of our own.”
Cordero had played a significant role in Operation Poisoned Pawns, a major public corruption investigation in 2007. This investigation led to the FBI raiding the El Paso County Courthouse and resulted in numerous convictions, including those of three former county judges, county commissioners, school board members, and various business people.
Marco Cordero described his brother as a respected law enforcement officer who had a notable impact on the city. He explained that Julio’s mental health issues began after a traumatic incident in 2014, when a suicidal man jumped in front of Julio’s car, resulting in the man’s death. This incident brought back painful memories of a crash in 1993 that had claimed the life of their sister.
The fatal confrontation occurred before 6 a.m. on Thursday at Franklin High School, where Cordero was reportedly breaking windows before classes started. According to his family, Cordero’s son is a senior at the school. An El Paso Independent School District police officer shot Cordero during the incident.
While the school district and the El Paso Police Department have not officially identified Cordero as the man killed, the details surrounding the confrontation have yet to be disclosed. The El Paso Police Department and Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting, following standard protocol for all fatal police shootings. Additionally, the school district is conducting an administrative investigation into the matter.
