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A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration special agent was killed in a shooting aboard an Amtrak train Monday that injured two other DEA officers.
The shooting took place Monday morning during a routine check for illegal items onboard in Tucson, Arizona, Chief Chris Magnus of the Tucson police said during a news conference, perThe New York Times.
During a sweep of the train, which was stopped en route to New Orleans, a passenger opened fire on the three officers, one of whom was a city police officer working on a joint task force with the DEA, Magnus said.
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While law enforcement detained one man on the upper level of the train during their sweep, another man began firing shots at the officers with his handgun. The assailant then barricaded himself in a bathroom, where he was later found dead, Magnus said, perThe Associated Press. A second suspect is currently in custody.
Officials do not yet know why the gunmen opened fire on the train. Magnus said he wasn’t sure if the officers found any illegal contraband during their sweep, per theTimes.
The shooting left the city police officer injured in stable condition, while the second DEA agent is in critical condition, police told theTimes, reporting that Magnus declined to disclose the names of the two injured officers.
Magnus called the shooting “horrific” onTwitterMonday, writing, “So proud of our @Tucson_Police officers whose heroic actions undoubtedly saved many lives.”
The Tucson Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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The DEA confirmed the death of one of its officers in the shooting in astatementreleased on its website Monday. The name of the officer who was killed was not disclosed.
No passengers or crew aboard the train were injured in the shooting, Amtrak toldCNN. The train had been carrying 137 passengers and 11 crew members, all of whom were evacuated.
Amtrak did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
“I caught this heart breaking [sic] moment of two officers at the scene of the fatal shooting at Tucson Amtrak Station,” Courtney wrote. “The@Tucson_Police@FBIhave been superb. I’m safe due to their fast action.”
Courtney told theTimeshe was getting coffee aboard the train when the shooting took place, describing his reaction as “fight or flight.”
Last week, an Amtrak trainderailedin Montana, killing three people and injuring dozens of others.
source: people.com
