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One Border Patrol Agent Killed, Another Injured in Arizona Border Patrol Agent Is Killed in Arizona
(about 2 hours later)
WASHINGTON — A Border Patrol agent was fatally wounded and another was injured in a shootout early Tuesday morning in an Arizona town near the border with Mexico, according to federal authorities. WASHINGTON — A Border Patrol agent was killed and another was injured in a shooting early Tuesday morning in an Arizona town near the border with Mexico, according to federal authorities.
The shootout occurred near a Border Patrol station in Naco, Ariz., that had recently been named in honor of Brian Terry, an agent whose 2010 murder received national attention because of its ties to Operation Fast and Furious, a botched gun-tracking case. Two guns found at the scene of Mr. Terry’s murder were among hundreds that officials of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives failed to seize as they hoped to build the larger gun-smuggling case. The victim was identified as Border Patrol Agent Nicolas Ivie, 30, from Provo, Utah, who had been an agent since 2008. The authorities said the injured agent, whom they did not identify, was in stable condition.
Operation Fast and Furious was an investigation from late 2009 to early 2011 into an Arizona-based gun-trafficking ring linked to a Mexican drug gang. During its course, A.T.F. agents used the tactic of gun-walking — not seizing illegal weapons in hopes of identifying more criminals. The shooting occurred near a Border Patrol station in Naco, Ariz., that had recently been named in honor of Brian Terry, an agent whose 2010 murder received national attention because of its ties to Operation Fast and Furious, a botched gun-tracking case. Two guns found at the scene of Mr. Terry’s murder were among hundreds that officials of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives failed to seize as they hoped to build their case.
Although federal authorities have said nothing about the weapons used in the shooting on Tuesday, Republican members of Congress who have been critical of the Justice Department issued statements that tried to tie the shooting to Operation Fast and Furious. Although the authorities said nothing about the weapons used in the shooting on Tuesday, Republican members of Congress who have been critical of the Justice Department issued statements that tried to tie the shooting to Operation Fast and Furious.
“There’s no way to know at this point how the agent was killed, but because of Operation Fast and Furious, we’ll wonder for years if the guns used in any killing along the border were part of an ill-advised gun-walking strategy sanctioned by the federal government,” said Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, in a written statement. “It’s a sad commentary.” “There’s no way to know at this point how the agent was killed, but because of Operation Fast and Furious, we’ll wonder for years if the guns used in any killing along the border were part of an ill-advised gun-walking strategy sanctioned by the federal government,” Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, said in a written statement. “It’s a sad commentary.”
According to Border Patrol officials, the shooting occurred at 1:50 a.m. and the agent who survived sustained nonlife-threatening injuries and was airlifted to a hospital. Operation Fast and Furious was an investigation from late 2009 to early 2011 into an Arizona-based gun-trafficking ring linked to a Mexican drug gang. During its course, A.T.F. agents used the tactic of gun-walking, in which they did not seize illegal weapons in hopes of identifying more criminals.
The authorities, who did not identify the agent who was killed, said a news conference would be held on Tuesday afternoon in Arizona. According to Border Patrol officials, the shooting occurred at around 1:50 a.m. as the two agents and another agent who was not injured were responding to an apparent attempt by someone to cross into the United States near mile marker 352 on Highway 80.
An investigation into the episode was being led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cochise County sheriff’s office.
“Tucson Sector mourns the loss of one of our own,” said Manuel Padilla, a senior official for Customs and Border Protection in Arizona. “It stands as a reminder of the dangers that agents of CBP face every day. We appreciate our state, local, federal and international partners for their support and commitment in seeking justice in this tragedy.”