April 30th, 2010
09:05 PM ET

Authorities: Ariz. deputy shot by suspected drug traffickers

[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.

 Post by:
Filed under: Uncategorized
soundoff (335 Responses)
  1. USA1

    www dot numbersusa dot com

    www dot fairus dot org

    May 2, 2010 at 5:46 pm | Report abuse |
  2. mabbie13

    Wade,

    You obviously think you are an intellectual but don't even know how to use pronouns correctly. It is "their opinion" not "there" their is possive, there is referring to where something is.

    May 3, 2010 at 7:13 pm | Report abuse |
  3. noraa

    ok what is a cop doin way out there??

    May 3, 2010 at 8:14 pm | Report abuse |
  4. sally

    Very sad story. This deputies last words were, "Tell my wife i love her." The immigration problem in Arizona is getting out of line.

    May 6, 2010 at 11:06 pm | Report abuse |
  5. sally

    Over the radio, that is.

    May 6, 2010 at 11:08 pm | Report abuse |
  6. todd

    When do we get to hear the helicopters side of the story...I wanna hear what them liars have to say!

    May 7, 2010 at 4:23 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Angeline Whisonant

    big book you teem with

    November 8, 2010 at 3:15 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Kelsi Gonder

    I tried to submit a statement earlier, however it hasn’t shown up. I believe the spam filter may well be broken?

    November 21, 2010 at 11:55 pm | Report abuse |
  9. coffee green

    Hi there! Is it fine that I go a bit off matter? I'm making an effort to look at your article on my ipad but it doesn't show properly, do you have any tips? Thanks. Best wishes, Melodee.

    January 9, 2011 at 4:52 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Jae Hodell

    Hey! I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this site? I'm getting tired of WordPress because I've had issues with hackers and I'm looking at options for another platform. I would be great if you could point me in the direction of a good platform. Also, please visit my site http://bosch3661802.posterous.com/best-cordless-drill-review-bosch-36618-02-cor

    September 1, 2011 at 10:53 am | Report abuse |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
« Back to main