Authorities responded to a shooting Monday at an Amtrak station in Tucson, Arizona, that left one Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent and the suspect dead, Fox News reported.
A suspect opened fire at law enforcement officers in the Counter Narcotics Alliance, a task force made up of local and federal law enforcement, as they spoke with another passenger during a routine check for drugs and illegal guns, Fox News reported. Two DEA agents and a Tucson police officer were also hospitalized following the incident, according to Fox News. One DEA agent died after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds, the outlet reported.
According to Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus, the suspected shooter hid inside a train bathroom after exchanging gunfire with the officers and was later found dead. It remains unclear if the suspect was shot and killed by law enforcement, or if he took his own life.
Evan Courtney, a passenger aboard the train traveling from Los Angeles to New Orleans, began filming after law enforcement officers arrived on the scene.
Police with assault rifles are on the scene at Tuscon @Amtrak. Shots fired between passenger and Police.@TucsonStar @KVOA @cityoftucson pic.twitter.com/M0T6TtdVy8
— Evan Courtney (@EvanCourtney) October 4, 2021
CCTV footage shows Tucson SWAT and K9 units rushing inside the train. Gunfire can be heard in the video.
AMTRAK SHOOTING: One federal agent was killed and another is in critical condition after a gunman opened fire aboard an Amtrak train in Tucson, Arizona, as the agents were searching for guns and drugs. pic.twitter.com/Mdyvyw9WEn
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) October 4, 2021
Magnus reportedly praised the “really heroic actions of the officers at the scene who literally ran towards the danger into the car where there was an active shooting situation going on,” and noted that the local officer was in stable condition.
Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey expressed his condolences for the fallen DEA agent in a tweet Monday evening.
My heartfelt condolences are with the loved ones and colleagues of the DEA agent who lost his life today in Tucson. Two other law enforcement officers are injured in the hospital. Our prayers are with them, their families and the law enforcement community.
— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) October 4, 2021
Anne Milgram, an administrator for the DEA, provided an update on the conditions of the two surviving agents and said the agency is “heartbroken” over the shooting.
“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, Arizona. One DEA special agent died as a result of injuries sustained during the shooting. A second DEA special agent is in critical condition. The DEA task force officer is in stable condition,” Milgram said, according to Fox News.
“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,” she added.
Amtrak said there were 137 passengers and 11 crew members on board. The motive for the shooting is not clear and an investigation remains ongoing.