Incident involving Border Patrol in Arizona leaves 1 person in critical condition

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ARIVACA, ARIZONA: One person was left in critical condition after being shot during an encounter involving Border Patrol agents in Arivaca, Arizona, on Tuesday, January 27.

The shooting occurred around 7.30 am near milepost 15 on West Arivaca Road in southern Pima County, officials said.

The individual who was shot has not yet been identified, and few details have been released about what led up to the incident.

Emergency crews transported the person to a regional trauma center as law enforcement agencies launched an investigation.

Emergency crews respond to early morning shooting

The Santa Rita Fire District confirmed that its crews responded to the scene and provided emergency medical care.

In a statement, the fire district said that the victim was in critical condition when first responders arrived.

“Patient care was transferred to a local medical helicopter for rapid transport to a regional trauma center,” the department said.

Officials did not release details beyond confirming critical injuries. There has been no indication that any Border Patrol agents or other law enforcement officers were injured during the incident.

Authorities have not released information about what prompted the Border Patrol encounter or whether the individual was armed.

It is also unclear whether the shooting occurred during an enforcement operation, a traffic stop, or another type of interaction.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that it was assisting with the investigation, along with the FBI. Both agencies declined to provide further details while the case remains active.

Arivaca, a small community of about 600 people, lies roughly an hour south of Tucson near the US-Mexico border, where the shooting occurred.

Incident follows deadly shootings in Minneapolis

The Arizona shooting comes amid heightened scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement after two fatal shootings involving federal officers in Minneapolis earlier this month.

On Saturday, Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, during a chaotic encounter that was captured on multiple bystander videos.

Weeks earlier, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot Renee Good while she was in her car.

Those killings triggered days of protests and unrest in Minneapolis that continue to keep the community on edge.