- A US Border Agent was shot several times around 4:30am Tuesday
- The unidentified agent’s protective vest likely saved his life according to rancher Jim Chilton, whose land the agent was shot on
- Chilton said his ranch is frequently used by migrants and drug smugglers
An Arizona cattle rancher says a U.S. Border Patrol agent near the boundary of Mexico was shot in a remote part of his ranch that is frequently used by drug and migrant smugglers.
Jim Chilton says that a Border Patrol official sent him an email Tuesday morning informing him the agent was alone when he was wounded on his ranch, and was struck in the leg and the hand.
Chilton says several bullets also struck the agent’s protective vest and that the vest probably saved his life in the shooting that occurred around 4.30am.
A Border Patrol agent was shot on an Arizona ranch near the Mexico border around 4:30am
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/06/13/06/4D2C9FB900000578-0-image-m-3_1528868414286.jpg)
He also says several people were detained.
The Border Patrol official who the rancher said wrote the email, Lisa A. Reed, did not immediately respond to an email seeking confirmation of the details that Chilton provided, according to the Associated Press.
Border Patrol Tucson Sector spokesman Chris Sullivan declined comment.
A Border Patrol statement said the agent was taken to a hospital for treatment but provided no information on the agent’s injuries or conditions or on circumstances of the shooting.
The agent was not identified.
The statement added that several ‘subjects’ were taken into custody.
The statement said the FBI and the Office of Professional Responsibility of U.S. Customs and Border Protection are investigation and that further information will be released when available.
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