TUCSON, Ariz. -- A U.S. Border Patrol agent was gunned down after he encountered several suspects who were targeting illegal immigrants for robbery in southern Arizona, officials said Wednesday.
Agent Brian A. Terry, 40, was killed late Tuesday near Rio Rico, Ariz., according to a statement released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials.
During the gunfight, one of the assailants was injured and taken into custody, said Rick Sarlow, the deputy chief at the U.S. Attorney’s office in Tuscon. Three additional suspects were apprehended while one suspect remains on the loose.
“I assure you, that every effort will be extended to bring that suspect into custody,” said Sarlow, who wore a black band over his yellow shield at a press conference.
At least four suspects are in custody and another is still being pursued.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Terry family for their tragic loss," CBP Commissioner Alan Bersin said in a statement. "Our commitment to Agent Terry and his family is that we will do everything possible to bring to justice those responsible for this despicable act."
The FBI and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office are investigating Terry's death.
Terry, who was a member of CBP's special response team, grew up near Detroit and graduated from Flat Rock High School in 1988, according to the Arizona Republic.
KOLD-TV in Tucson reports the incident occurred just after 11 p.m. Tuesday in the Peck Canyon area north of Nogales.
The leader of a union representing Border Patrol agents said Terry was trying to catch bandits who target illegal immigrants for robbery.
National Border Patrol Council President T.J. Bonner said Terry was waiting with three other agents in a remote area north of Nogales when a gun battle began. A CBP spokesman would not confirm that account.
Prior to Terry's death, the last fatal shooting of a Border Patrol agent was on July 23, 2009, when Robert Rosas, 30, was killed by unidentified assailants while responding to suspicious activity in a known smuggling corridor near Campo, Calif., CBP officials said.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the killing is an "unconscionable act of violence," according to a statement released Wednesday. She had planned earlier this week to visit the region on Friday, but will apparently move her trip up a day because of the shooting, the Arizona Republic reports.
In May, President Obama authorized the deployment of up to an additional 1,200 National Guard troops to the Southwest border to provide support for surveillance, reconnaissance and narcotics enforcement to augment CBP and U.S. Customs and Immigration (ICE) authorities already in place. Those deployments began on Aug. 1. Obama also requested $600 million in supplemental funds for enhanced border protection and law enforcement activities.
"Over the past year and a half, this administration has pursued a new border security strategy with an unprecedented sense of urgency, making historic investments in personnel, technology and infrastructure," Napolitano said in a statement released on July 19.
"These troops will provide direct support to federal law enforcement officers and agents working in high-risk areas to disrupt criminal organizations seeking to move people and goods illegally across the Southwest border," the statement continued.
Napolitano also announced in July that more than $47 million in fiscal year 2010 Operation Stonegraden grants for the Southwest border states to support law enforcement personnel, overtime and related costs. Nearly 80 percent of the funding will go to Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas, up from 59 percent in 2008.
Terry was born in Detroit, Mich., and is survived by his parents, a brother and two sisters.
“He was held to the highest esteem by his coworkers,” said Sarlow.
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