A Border Patrol agent was shot and killed on Tuesday night near Rio Rico after encountering several suspects, federal authorities said Wednesday.
Agent Brian Terry, 40, was killed at about 11 p.m. near Peck Canyon, about 10 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border west of Rio Rico on the Interstate 19. Four suspects are in custody and one is being pursued, according to a press release from Customs and Border Protection.
Terry was part of the Border Patrol's Search, Trauma and Rescue team, according to Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office. Agents must go through special training and have at least two years experience in the Border Patrol to be accepted to the BORSTAR unit, according to Customs and Border Protection.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office are investigating.
Since 1919, 111 Border Patrol agents have died on duty, according to The Officer Down Memorial Page Inc., which tracks law-enforcement deaths.
