The controversial death of Hernández-Rojas occurred after a US border deportation dispute involving Federal agent use of taser(s) and alleged excessive force has caused a demand by the Mexican government for a thorough investigation.
A national newspaper in Mexico, El Universal, claimed that up to 20 US federal border agents were beating Mr. Hernández-Rojas in the presence of various witnesses while he pleaded for mercy.
[2][3][4] According to a report by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the San Diego coroner's office recorded in addition to a heart attack: “several loose teeth; bruising to his chest, stomach, hips, knees, back, lips, head, and eyelids; five broken ribs; and a damaged spine”, and classified Anastasio's death as a homicide.
In 2013 Nonny de la Peña, a pioneer in virtual reality, whose work is described as immersive journalism, created a five-minute-long VR called Use of Force, in which she recreated Hernández's death.
In the VR project, which was funded by Tribeca Film Institute, Google, and the Associated Press, viewers witness the event from the viewpoint of bystanders, many of whom had captured the beating on video.