"On Thursday, 14 November 2019, a Tucson Sector Border Patrol agent discharged his service-issued firearm in an incident near Lukeville, Arizona," the release said. "The subject, a citizen of Russia, was transported via helicopter to a Phoenix area hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries."
The border agency explained in the release that at around 7:15 p.m. a Border Patrol agent responded to a single subject suspected of illegally crossing the border.
"As the agent attempted to arrest the subject, a physical altercation ensued, and the agent discharged his firearm, striking the subject", the release added. "The subject remains in the hospital at this time. The responding Border Patrol agent was not seriously injured in the encounter."
— Rafael Carranza (@RafaelCarranza) November 15, 2019
The incident involving the Russian citizen is under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the CBP Use of Force Incident Team, the release concluded.
"The only other information that we would have is that it is a male subject", CBP's Press Officer Robert Daniels said, adding that the man had proof of Russian citizenship. "That would all be part of an investigation".
Daniels explained that there will be a "combination of interviews with Customs and Border Protection and the FBI", but noted that any information obtained during the interviews will not be released.
