U.S. Border Patrol: Agent killed 'suspected illegal border crosser' after being assaulted near Sumas

SUMAS, Wash. (AP) — A U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot "a suspected illegal border crosser" Thursday after the agent was assaulted while patrolling the U.S.-Canada border near Sumas, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol said.

The Bellingham Herald  reports that Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo says the person killed Thursday afternoon was a man.

In a short statement Thursday night, a Customs and Border Patrol spokesman offered no details about the nature of the assault or how the agent encountered the person at the border. The newspaper reported the agent wasn't seriously hurt.

"On Thursday, March 19, at approximately 2:30 p.m. PST, a U.S. Border Patrol agent on patrol along the U.S.-Canadian border near Sumas, Washington, was assaulted after an encounter with a suspected illegal border crosser,' CBP spokesman Michael Milne said.

"The agent discharged his service-issued weapon, fatally striking the individual.

"Federal Authorities including the DHS Inspector General, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Internal Affairs are coordinating the investigation with cooperation from CBP’s Border Patrol and the Law Enforcement Multi-Agency Response Team (LEMART) of Whatcom County. Details of the incident have also been provided to the FBI."
Neither the agent nor the person killed was immediately identified.

The small border crossing at Sumas is about 100 miles north of Seattle.

The road where the shooting took place is less than 1,000 feet from the U.S.-Canada border. Police, the FBI, border authorities and the sheriff's office responded.