A Border Patrol agent shot and killed a migrant in a rugged mountain area about 30 miles north of Douglas, officials say.
The deadly encounter occurred around 10 p.m. Saturday near Skeleton Canyon, in the Peloncillo Mountains near the state line with New Mexico.
The Cochise County Sheriffβs Department said in a news release that it went to the area to answer a call about a seriously injured migrant.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection area spokesman John Mennell confirmed Monday to the Associated Press that an agent was the shooter.
Details about the encounter, however, had yet to be made public by Monday afternoon.
βEarly indications are that one male subject, presumed to be an illegal immigrant, was fatally wounded by a Border Patrol agent who was on duty with additional personnel,β the Cochise County Sheriffβs Department said Sunday night in its initial news release.
A Border Patrol medic treated the wounded migrant, but the man died at the scene, the Sheriffβs Department release says.
The identity and nationality of the dead man were not immediately disclosed.
Five Mexican nationals were apprehended in the same incident, and they had been interviewed by various agencies, the Mexican consulate said in a news release Monday.
It said the Mexican government lamented the fatal encounter. βThe government of Mexico rejects any act of unjustified violence against migrants,β the consulate release says.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety helped retrieve the manβs body early Sunday, and it was taken to the medical examinerβs office in Tucson.
Several agencies are involved in investigating the incident, including the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and the Sheriffβs Department.
