Border Patrol agent shoots, wounds suspected smuggler

A Border Patrol agent shot and wounded a suspected drug smuggler Monday morning near the Arizona-New Mexico border.

The agent fired his service-issued sidearm during a struggle with a suspect at around 10:45 a.m.

The shooting came as agents were tracking an undisclosed number of suspects who fled a vehicle containing drugs in a remote area east of Apache, the Border Patrol said in a news release.

First responders provided emergency medical treatment to the suspect, who was flown to an undisclosed hospital, the Border Patrol said.

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The person’s condition was not known. No other information was available as of Monday night on the incident.

The shooting happened east of Arizona 80 near Skeleton Canyon, according to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office, which responded to a request for assistance from the Border Patrol at around 11:20 a.m.

The shooting site is in New Mexico, the agency said.

The Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office in New Mexico was notified of the shooting.