A U.S. Border Patrol agent was involved in a shooting on Tuesday morning that left a suspected smuggler shooting at them in critical condition, authorities confirmed.
The incident occurred around 7:30 a.m. near milepost 15 on West Arivaca Road, a remote rural area in southern Pima County, approximately 10 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border and about an hour south of Tucson. This location is known for Border Patrol operations monitoring illegal crossings and smuggling activity.
According to WRAL News, FBI special agent Heith Janke said the suspect, Patrick Gary Schlegel, has a criminal history that includes a December warrant for escape stemming from a smuggling conviction. On Dec. 15, Schlegel signed out of the institution where he had been incarcerated, Dismas Charities in Tucson, to go to a counseling session but did not return, court records show.
Emergency responders from the Santa Rita Fire District and American Medical Response arrived on scene, where they found the 34-year-old Schlegel in custody.
Schlegel received immediate medical care before being airlifted by helicopter to a regional trauma center in Tucson.
No Border Patrol agents or other officers were reported injured.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is leading the use-of-force investigation, with assistance from the FBI Phoenix-Tucson Office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
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