A person has been flown by helicopter to an Arizona trauma center after being shot by a Border Patrol agent in the state’s south, local authorities say.
Details about the shooting and the circumstances preceding it are limited, but the Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that federal officers shot someone near the U.S.-Mexico border in a sparsely populated area.
Deputies say they are jointly investigating the shooting along with the FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The person who was shot was flown from Arivaca, a community of less than 500, to a hospital in Tucson, Arizona, reports the Green Valley News. Arivaca is about 60 miles south of Tucson and is largely surrounded by miles of barren Sonoran Desert.
At a press conference on Tuesday evening, FBI special agent Heith Janke identified the person who was shot as Patrick Gary Schlegel, a 34-year-old Arizona resident.
“While reacting to an active alien smuggling matter, CBP agents came into contact with the subject,” Janke said. “During the attempt to apprehend him the subject used a firearm to shoot at a manned CBP helicopter. The subject continued to flee on foot while being pursued by CBP agents, who returned fire.”
Janke said Schlegel underwent surgery after being flown to the hospital. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told reporters that Schlegel’s condition is listed as “serious but stable.”
Schlegel has a “significant criminal history,” including an active federal arrest warrant for “escape related to a previous federal alien smuggling conviction,” Janke said.
The Santa Rita Fire District said it was dispatched to the scene around 7:40 a.m. A local NBC News affiliate in Southern Arizona reported that the person shot was in custody when first responders arrived at the scene.
Neither CBP nor the Department of Homeland Security has released information about the incident. They did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s requests for comment.
Local deputies asked for patience while a probe is conducted.
“We ask the community to remain patient and understanding as this investigation moves forward,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement Tuesday. “PCSD will thoroughly examine all aspects of the incident, however, these investigations are complex and require time.”
Arivaca is a busy crossing area for migrants and has been the site of past tension between migrant advocates and Border Patrol. Anti-migrant vigilantes are known to patrol the area in tactical gear, rifles in hand.
The shooting comes mere days after a Border Patrol agent fatally shot Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Veterans Affairs nurse, on a Minneapolis street after disarming him of his legally carried handgun.
Pretti’s killing has been highly scrutinized by both critics of the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers, like Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.
Even President Donald Trump has shied away from defending the actions of the still-anonymous officer who pulled the trigger.
