One person in critical condition after being shot in Arizona in incident involving Border Patrol
The Santa Rita Fire District said the wounded individual was taken to hospital
A person was shot and wounded in an incident involving the U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
The person, whose identity has not been released, was shot in southern Pima County — which includes Tucson and is located along the U.S.-Mexico border — at around 7:30 a.m., according to a statement from the Santa Rita Fire District. The statement said that Santa Rita Fire District and American Medical Response personnel provided medical attention to the person at the scene, and they were then transported in critical condition to a hospital.
“We ask the community to remain patient and understanding as this investigation moves forward,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said. It added that “all aspects of the incident, however, these investigations are complex and require time.” The FBI is participating in the investigation.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Border Patrol, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC, which first reported the incident.
The incident comes amid a wave of nationwide protests over the deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of immigration agents. Last Saturday, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents as he tried to help a woman being pepper-sprayed. On January 7, Renee Good, also 37, was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent as she attempted to move away from officers.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that a “big investigation” was under way into the killing of Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis. “I want to see the investigation. I’m going to be watching over it. I want a very honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself,” the president said as he left the White House.
Trump has shifted his position on Pretti’s death after his administration was widely criticized — including by Republicans — for initially defending the agents’ actions. The president removed Gregory Bovino, head of the Border Patrol and the official in charge of migrant enforcement operations in Minneapolis, an advocate of aggressive raid tactics, and replaced him with border czar Tom Homan, one of the architects of Trump’s deportation campaign.
Democratic House members Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark, and Pete Aguilar issued a statement on Tuesday accusing the Trump administration of using taxpayer money “to kill American citizens.” They also threatened to initiate impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem if she is not removed from office.
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