Border Patrol-Involved Shooting in Arizona Leaves 1 Person Injured

The FBI is investigating an assault on a Border Patrol officer that resulted in the shooting of a civilian early Tuesday morning near the U.S.–Mexico border in Arizona.

A Border Patrol helicopter was trying to pull over a vehicle driven by Patrick Gary Schlegel, 34, of Pima County, Ariz., when the shooting occurred, said authorities at a news conference.

Officers suspected Schlegel of being involved in an earlier human trafficking incident, according to FBI Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke.

The incident occurred near Arivaca, Arizona, a small town of about 500 people about 60 miles south of Tucson and 10 miles from the border. The rural area is made up of tough desert terrain, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said.

As the federal officers neared Schlegel, he began shooting at the Border Patrol helicopter and then fled on foot, Janke told reporters at the news conference.

The federal officers chased after Schlegel and returned fire, striking the suspect, Janke said.

Schlegel was given aid at the scene by the federal officers before fire and medical teams arrived.

He is being held on an active federal arrest warrant issued in 2025 for an unrelated previous federal conviction for smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States, according to Janke.

Schlegel also faces new charges of assault on a federal officer, alien smuggling, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Nanos said all law enforcement agencies in the area are working together to investigate and assist each other in the case.

“This is something we do all the time,” he told reporters. “We’re working together. We believe our agent and the CBP acted lawfully, based on what we know today, but the investigation is still ongoing. … We’re not tolerating any abuse of a law enforcement officer. We’re not tolerating it.”

The FBI is working with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on the investigation.

The shooting happened at about 7:30 a.m. on West Arivaca Road, according to the Santa Rita Fire District.

Fire and medical teams were dispatched to the area.

“Upon arrival, crews found one patient in custody and in critical condition,” the fire district told The Epoch Times in a statement.

Emergency crews provided medical care on scene and the patient was transferred to a helicopter to be taken to a regional trauma center.

The area around the shooting is known as a high-traffic area for illegal marijuana smuggling and illegal border crossings.

The Border Patrol has a large presence in Tucson, which serves as the headquarters for one of its operational sectors. The sector, one of the busiest in the nation, has about 3,700 agents responsible for patrolling 262 miles of the Arizona–Mexico border.

The assault and shooting come days after tensions boiled over between anti-government protesters and federal immigration agents in Minnesota, exacerbated by the shooting deaths of two citizens and several serious injuries received by federal agents.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), assaults against federal officers have continued to spike this year. Federal law enforcement officers have seen a more than 1,300 percent increase in assaults, a 3,200 percent increase in vehicular attacks, and an 8,000 percent increase in death threats, the department said.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin blamed violent rhetoric for the increase in violence.

“The men and women of [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and CBP are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters,” McLaughlin said Tuesday. “They get up every morning and try to make our communities safer. The violence and dehumanization of these men and women who are simply enforcing the law much stop.”