[Updated at 11:00 p.m.] A sheriff's deputy in central Arizona was shot Friday afternoon by a suspected drug trafficker, authorities said.
The Pinal County deputy, who was not immediately identified, contacted authorities after being wounded in the desert, saying he had been shot by an illegal immigrant with an AK-47, said Lt. Tammy Villar, a sheriff's spokeswoman.
[Posted at 9:05 p.m.] A sheriff's deputy in central Arizona who was shot Friday afternoon by an alleged illegal immigrant has been found after authorities lost contact with him, according to CNN affiliate KPNX.
The report came from a KPNX reporter on board a chopper at the scene.
[Posted at 8:41 p.m.] A sheriff's deputy in central Arizona was shot Friday afternoon by a member of an alleged group of illegal immigrants, authorities said.
The Pinal County deputy, who was not immediately identified, contacted authorities after being wounded in a remote area, said Lt. Tammy Villar, a sheriff's spokeswoman. She said authorities believe he was shot with a AK-47. The deputy was being treated for the wound, but his condition was not immediately known, Villar said.
Pinal County is located between Phoenix and Tuscon and has been described as a key transit point for illegal immigrants. Sheriff Paul Babeu told CNN that an estimated 80 percent of illegal immigrants eventually pass through his county along the way to other locations.
Deputies in the department routinely patrol for illegal immigrants and smugglers, and it's not uncommon for them to be in the field alone, officials said.
It was not immediately clear what led the deputy to engage with the group on Friday.
– CNN's Casey Wian contributed to this report.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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This is disgusting! Arizona should closse its borders immediately!!! Put the national guard down there! Put all deputys on high alert! PEOPLE! THIS IS EXACTLY WHY ARIZONA HAS EVERY RIGHT TO PASS LAWS TO PROTECT ITS OFFICERS AND CITIZENS!!!
Then again, now that I think about it, it was probably a gang who did it. Regardless, when this law went in to effect, they should have saw this outcome. It's sad to see an innocent life be sacrificed because of a few big wigs decisions.
Here's a better idea... legally apply for American citizenship, contribute, pay taxes, purchase insurance, help fund our schools and healthcare system and enjoy the fruits of the America! Anything else is, quite simply, freeloading.
This article would have been much longer if the title was "Undocumented Immigrant shot by Deputy".
An illegal immigrant running around Arizona with an AK-47? This would get less press then a member of the Tea Party with the same gun!
You have got to love the liberal media in the age of Obama.
Where is Linda Ronstadt and the Latino Clergy and ACLU denouncing these illegal immigrant criminals (redundant, huh?). Where is the MSM outrage?
The American people will not take this laying down! To quote Miss Rondstadt.
Love the PC headline here, CNN. At least you got it right in the story. Mostly.
I love the "alleged" part. Illegal is not a race, it's a way of life in AZ.
Who uses AK-47's? Hmmmm....
ILLEGAL, not undoc, ILLEGAL,
Come on Commie New Network
CALL IT LIKE IS IS,
Stop your propaganda
I live in Pinal County and this is what we expect. Why do dumb Americans think that all people on earth are covered by the US Constitution? It is not an umbrella for all the earth, it is meant to protect citizens of the USA. I don't care if your country is backwards, get out of here!
put the law back how it was. illegal immigrant has the word ILLIGAL in it for a reason!!
Time to put the National Guard on the boarder and shoot anything that moves!
Proves nothing. The run of the mill illegals pay "coyotes" to bring them across and do not carry AK47s. More than likely it was a trafficer.
I think incidents such as this are the reasons this illegal alien law was enacted. Godspeed to the deputy in his recovery. To all the other law enforcement agencies in Arizona....GOOD HUNTING ! ! !
How dare you blame OUR government!!! The illegal aliens are ILLEGAL! How in the world do you justify doing ANYTHING in our country if you are ILLEGAL?!!! Do you get the point? Morons!!!
And to Margaret and Jeezy our national security is at stake here, 300 to 400 illegal immigrants wiith no background checks come through a 10 mile stretch of mountains near my house every single day! That is 100,000 people who we have no clue who they are or what their background is! They could be Al Qaeda for all we know, it's people like you throwing in the race card that caused that deputy to be shot! Is it going to take another 9/11 with the terrorists coming through our unsecure border to make people like you realize having a 2,000 mile unsecure border with an undeveloped, murderous, drug smuggling, human smuggling nation might be a possible threat? And that maybe, just maybe, having 10,000,000 illegal immigrants in this country might jeopardize your own lives? Get a clue here, look at the videos and see just how big the problem is before you throw that racism card .... http://www.borderinvasionpics.com/
it would be great law as long as white people are profiled too lots of illegal canadians in arizona
I just heard your reporter talk about the illegal immigrants working in the car washes in AZ. Maybe instead of painting all us in AZ as racist, you should do a report on the US citizen that has had their identity stolen by that illegal immigrant working in the car wash. Maybe find out how it impacts the US citizen to get his identity back.