The murder of rancher Robert Krentz is a family tragedy, the loss of a good, hard-working and generous man.
But it is also crime story, an immigration story, a border security story, a political story, a gun story and, if we’re not careful, a war story.
Krentz was armed when he was killed.
According to Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever, Krentz was murdered by a “sick and sorry” person in a “senseless shooting” with no evidence of a confrontation.
The 58-year-old rancher was on an ATV checking water lines and fencing on his 35,000-acre ranch in southeast Arizona when he came across an unknown individual who later was tracked to the Mexican border. Dever said that Krentz had weapons with him but didn’t use them.
Was he surprised? Ambushed?
Friends describe Krentz as a gentle person who had provided humanitarian assistance to some of the border crossers who trekked across his land. But he also was aware of the dangers of drug smugglers and other criminals. That had to be part of the reason he had weapons with him.
According to one report, Krentz had radioed to his brother that he’d come across an “illegal” in need of help.
A reader called me this week to ask if Krentz could have approached the unknown person on his property with a gun drawn?
The answer is yes.
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