A U.S. Border Patrol agent was killed along the Arizona-Mexico border while “trying to catch bandits who target illegal immigrants,” according to the AP:
Agent Brian A. Terry, 40, was waiting with three other agents in a remote area north of Nogales, Ariz., late Tuesday night when a gunbattle with the bandits began, said National Border Patrol Council President T.J. Bonner. No other agents were injured, but one of the suspects was wounded in the shootout.
The FBI is investigating the shooting. Border Patrol spokesman Eric Cantu and FBI spokeswoman Brenda Lee Nath declined to confirm Bonner’s account, but said that authorities have four suspects in custody and are searching for a fifth.
Terry had served in the military and was a Border Patrol agent for about three years. He died early Wednesday.
Bandits have long roamed border areas, robbing and sexually assaulting illegal immigrants as they cross into the country.