A man is in a critical condition after being shot by a border patrol agent in Arizona, authorities have said. The suspect, identified as Patrick Gary Schlegel, 34, allegedly fired shots at a helicopter before the agent returned fire.
The incident began at around 7am when agents attempted to stop a car near the US-Mexico border. Several occupants fled on foot, and the vehicle drove away. Half an hour later, agents located the car again and tried to stop it, prompting the driver to flee. During the pursuit, Schlegel shot at an occupied helicopter, according to the FBI. A border agent chased and shot him.
Schlegel was taken to a trauma centre, where his condition was described as “serious but stable”. He had been convicted in 2023 of smuggling unauthorised migrants and possessing firearms as a felon, receiving a three-year prison sentence. He was sent to a facility called Dismas Charities but escaped in 2024, court records show.
He is currently wanted on a warrant issued by the US Marshals Service and is expected to face federal charges including assault on a federal officer, alien smuggling, and felon in possession of a firearm. “Let me be clear, any assault on federal officers will not be tolerated,” said Heith Janke, FBI Phoenix special agent in charge.
The shooting comes amid widespread criticism of the use of force by immigration agents under President Donald Trump’s deportation programme. Two US citizens have been shot and killed by immigration officers in Minnesota in the past month.
Customs and Border Protection’s office of professional responsibility, along with the FBI and the Pima County sheriff’s office, are investigating the incident.
