The FBI is investigating an assault on a Border Patrol officer that resulted in the shooting of a civilian early Tuesday morning near the U.S.–Mexico border in Arizona.
“The subject was taken into custody,” the FBI told The Epoch Times in an email.
The incident occurred near Arivaca, Arizona, a small town of about 500 people about 60 miles south of Tucson and 10 miles from the border.
The FBI is working with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on the investigation.
The shooting happened at about 7:30 a.m. on West Arivaca Road, according to the Santa Rita Fire District.
Fire and medical teams were dispatched to the area.
“Upon arrival, crews found one patient in custody and in critical condition,” the fire district told The Epoch Times in a statement.
Emergency crews provided medical care on scene and the patient was transferred to a helicopter to be taken to a regional trauma center.
The area around the shooting is known as a high-traffic area for illegal marijuana smuggling and illegal border crossings.
The Border Patrol has a massive presence in Tucson, which serves as the headquarters for one of its operational sectors. The sector, one of the busiest in the nation, has about 3,700 agents responsible for patrolling 262 miles of the Arizona–Mexico border.
The assault and shooting come days after tensions boiled over between anti-government protesters and federal immigration agents in Minnesota, exacerbated by the shooting deaths of two citizens and several serious injuries received by federal agents.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin blamed violent rhetoric for the increase in violence.