UPDATE: Tucson border agent shot by 'unknown assailant' while checking sensor activity
A Tucson Border Patrol agent was shot south of Arivaca while on duty, the agency reported.
At about 4:30 a.m. today the agent was involved in a shooting incident, officials said. Several people were taken into custody.
The agent, whose name hasn't been released, was taken to the hospital.
The Associated Press reported that a cattle rancher said the shooting happened in a remote part of his ranch that is frequently used by drug and migrant smugglers.
Jim Chilton told The AP that a Border Patrol official sent him an email Tuesday morning informing him the agent was alone when he was wounded on his ranch, and was struck in the leg and the hand.
Chilton says several bullets also struck the agent's protective vest and that the vest probably saved his life. He also says several people were detained.
The Border Patrol official who the rancher said wrote the email, Lisa A. Reed, did not immediately respond to an email seeking confirmation of the details that Chilton provided.
The investigation is ongoing and more information will be provided as it becomes available. The FBI and Customs and Border Protection's Office of Personal Responsibility are involved in the investigation.
Tucson Sector #USBP agent was shot this morning south of Arivaca, Arizona and transported to an area hospital for treatment. Several subjects in the area were taken into custody. Updates will be provided as information becomes available to @CBP. #HonorFirst pic.twitter.com/hnJlIUe1sO
— CBP Arizona (@CBPArizona) June 12, 2018
Chilton told the Arizona Daily Star he has seen increased traffic in the area during the last two to three months.
Chilton ranches 50,000 acres that include a remote stretch of the Arizona-Mexico border in the Altar Valley.
