Mexican woman shot in head by US Border Patrol files claim: ?I am looking for justice?

Attorneys for a Mexican woman who was shot in the head by a Border Patrol agent and survived have filed a claim against the US government as a precursor to a federal lawsuit.

The claim filed with the Border Patrol by Marisol Garcia Alcántara, who had arrived in the U.S. shortly before the shooting over the summer in Nogales, Arizona, is necessary before a civil action is filed next year with the US District Court in Tucson.

"I want to know why, why did they do that and why me?" Garcia, 37, said in an interview from her family home outside Mexico City.

"I am looking for justice. I want an apology from that person and help for medical care and medicine because I can't work," she said.

The bullet entered Garcia's head above her left eye and fragments still remain in her brain, putting her at risk of seizures. She said that a half-year later she still suffers from loss of memory, dizzy spells and headaches.

Customs and Border Protection, which oversees the Border Patrol, said the agency could not comment because the shooting was still being investigated internally by its Office of Professional Responsibility. It will also be reviewed by the CBP's National Use of Force Review Board.

The agent's identity has not been revealed.