DEA agent killed in shooting at Arizona Amtrak station, suspected gunman dead

A shooting at an Amtrak station in Tucson, Ariz., on Monday morning left one Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent dead and multiple law enforcement officers injured. The suspected shooter was also declared dead after exchanging fire with officers. 

Cheri Oz, special agent in charge of the DEA in Phoenix, Ariz., confirmed in a press conference on Monday that one DEA officer had died.

“I am deeply saddened to confirm that one special agent died as a result of the injuries sustained during the shooting. A second special agent is in critical condition and a task force officer is in stable condition,” said Oz.

No passengers are believed to have been injured in the shooting.

Tucson Chief of Police Chris Magnus said the incident occurred around 8 a.m. at the train station in downtown Tucson and involved a regional counternarcotics alliance made up of Tucson police officers and DEA agents.

According to Magnus, the officers were performing a “routine interdiction check,” looking for illegal guns, money and drugs.

Several officers boarded the double-decker train and made contact with two individuals on the upper deck. While detaining one person, the second, described by Magnus as a Hispanic man in his 20s to 30s, took out a gun and opened fire.

A Tucson police officer went to the assess the situation and was shot. The suspect exchanged gunfire with officers before barricading himself in a bathroom on the first floor. When the suspect was found in the bathroom, he was declared dead.

VIDEO: The moment the shooting happened in downtown Tucson at the Amtrak station just after 8am.

Courtesy: Virtual Railfan @KVOA pic.twitter.com/L2TK0myskE

— Priscilla Casper KVOA (@PriscillaCasper) October 4, 2021

“I really want to reflect first on the terrible tragedy that this is, not just for the DEA obviously, but for everyone in law enforcement,” said Magnus. “It’s really horrific and we’re all just coming to terms with just how terrible a loss this is.”

“But I also want to reflect on 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,” Magnus added, praising the officers for evacuating their colleagues and ensuring the safety of the roughly dozen passengers on board.

Magnus was unable to say when the suspect boarded the train and could not share where the train was headed or where it was coming from due to the ongoing investigation.

The FBI field office in Phoenix told The Hill that it is processing the scene with assistance of the Tucson police as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The FBI stated that there is currently no threat to public safety and declined to provide further details on the incident.