TUCSON, Ariz. — A chaotic shootout unfolded at an Amtrak train station in Tuscon, Arizona, on Monday morning, leaving one federal agent and a suspect dead, another agent and a local officer injured and a second suspect in custody.
NOW: @DanMarriesKOLD is downtown near Toole & Fourth Ave. An officer on scene tells him one person is custody. A firefighter tells him possibly 3 patients. #Tucson pic.twitter.com/yKrH2xdntv
— Angelica Carrillo (@acarrillonews) October 4, 2021
Tucson Chief of Police Chris Magnus told KOLD that the incident was sparked at around 8 a.m. when the Counter Narcotics Alliance, a multi-jurisdictional drug task force serving southern Arizona, boarded the train to conduct a routine check for money, drugs and firearms.
He said that law enforcement made contact with two individuals on the double-decker train’s second level and took one suspect into custody, while the second, described as a Hispanic male in his 20s or 30s, pulled out a handgun and started shooting, the TV station reported.
Video captures the moment a suspect on a train opens fire on a K-9 police officer in downtown #Tucson - https://t.co/5fkF16QP7i. pic.twitter.com/qQPsAd0lj9
— Dan Marries (@DanMarriesKOLD) October 4, 2021
Magnus confirmed during an afternoon news conference that one agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration was shot and died on the scene, while a second agent was transported to an area medical facility in critical condition. He also confirmed that an officer with the Tuscon Police Department injured in the shootout is in stable condition and is expected to survive, KVOA reported.
“Tragically, this morning, two DEA special agents and a DEA task force officer from the Tucson Police Department were shot during a law enforcement operation in Tucson,” Cheri Oz, the DEA Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix division, said in a prepared statement.
“We at the DEA are heartbroken by today’s events and ask that you keep the families of the agents and task force officer in your thoughts and prayers,” Oz added.
The shooting that took place this morning at our downtown train station was an absolutely shocking act of violence.
— Regina Romero (@TucsonRomero) October 4, 2021
I am ordering flags at all city facilities to half staff to honor the courageous actions of the deceased and the injured.
Full statement: pic.twitter.com/NfqWt5Txpy
The unidentified suspect with the handgun was later found dead after barricading himself in a bathroom on the train, but Magnus could not immediately confirm if he was shot by agents or suicide, KOLD reported.
No passengers or crew were injured during the shooting.
— Priscilla Casper KVOA (@PriscillaCasper) October 4, 2021
Per Amtrak:
-Train was traveling from LA to New Orleans.
-Arrived at Tucson station at 7:40AM
-137 passengers and 11 crew members
-No reported injuries to crew/passengers @KVOA https://t.co/IKcBGTGXp7
According to Amtrak officials, the Sunset Limited/Texas Eagle Train 2/422 arrived in Tucson at 7:40 a.m. with 137 passengers and 11 crew members. The eastbound train was traveling en route to New Orleans from Los Angeles at the time of the shootings, KVOA reported.
I caught this heart breaking moment of two officers at the scene of the fatal shooting at Tucson Amtrak Station. The @Tucson_Police @FBI have been superb. I’m safe due to their fast action. @TucsonStar @whatsuptucson @KVOA pic.twitter.com/WPB8BmRzyd
— Evan Courtney (@EvanCourtney) October 4, 2021
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