2 US border agents shot, 1 killed, near major drug corridor in Arizona

NACO, Ariz. -A Border Patrol agent was killed and another injured in an early morning shooting Tuesday near Naco, which is about 8 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.

A third agent was also with them, but not harmed, according to George McCubbin, president of the National Border Patrol Council, a union representing about 17,000 border patrol agents.

According to Cochise County Sheriff's spokeswoman Carol Capas, the shooting occurred after an alarm was triggered on one of the many sensors along the border, near mile marker 352 on Highway 80, about 1 a.m. The three agents were on horseback and were investigating when they were shot at.

It's not known whether the agents returned fire.

Authorities have identified 30-year-old Nicholas Ivie as the slain agent. He joined the U.S. Border Patrol in January 2008 and was a native of Provo, Utah.

The wounded agent was airlifted to a hospital after being shot in the ankle and buttocks, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The wounded agent's name was not released, but authorities say he is in stable condition.

The agents were assigned to the Brian Terry station in Naco, which is about 100 miles southeast of Tucson.

The Border Patrol station was recently named after Terry, a U.S. Border Patrol agent who was killed in a shootout with Mexican bandits near the border in December 2010. The shooting was later linked to the Fast and Furious gun smuggling operation. It's not known if the weapon used to kill Ivie was part of that program too.

The FBI and Cochise County Sheriff's Office are investigating the shooting. The FBI has pledged all of its resources from across the country to help.

"The FBI is utilizing all necessary resources in conducting this investigation in efforts to ensure those responsible will be brought to justice," said James Turgal, FBI, during an afternoon press conference.

As for suspects, the acting Cochise County Sheriff told the Associated Press that two possible suspects were spotted by air and apprehended in Mexico. But the FBI would not confirm that.

Flags will fly at half staff at the Brian Terry border station in memory of Ivie. He leaves behind a wife and two children.

McCubbin added, "We're going to keep fighting the fight. We're going to take care of the agent and his family like we have for all the others and we'll get through this..guarantee it."