A man who authorities say was involved in a human smuggling operation was shot Tuesday in an exchange of gunfire with the U.S. Border Patrol and after firing at a federal helicopter near the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities said.
Federal agents were attempting to apprehend the 34-year-old Arizona man during a traffic stop near Arivaca, Arizona, when he fled and shot at a Border Patrol helicopter and at agents, authorities said. Agents returned fire, striking the man and wounding him, said Heith Janke, special agent in charge of the FBI in Phoenix.
The suspect, Patrick Gary Schlegel, was transported to a hospital and was recovering from surgery Tuesday evening, authorities said. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said during a news conference that he believes the Border Patrol agent involved in the shooting “acted lawfully" based on what is known so far.
“The investigation is still ongoing. There may be other things that show up,” Nanos said.
Prior to the shooting, agents had attempted to stop the same vehicle but the occupants drove away, Nanos said. Later in the morning, a Border Patrol agent saw the vehicle in the same area and attempted to stop it, but the driver fled on foot.
Schlegel was in federal custody and expected to be charged with assault on a federal officer, human smuggling and being a felon in possession of a firearm, Janke said.
“Let me be clear, any assault on law enforcement officers will not be tolerated,” said Janke.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement late Tuesday that it would provide more information when available.
Schlegel has a criminal history that includes a December warrant for escape stemming from a human smuggling and firearms conviction, court records show. On Dec. 15, Schlegel signed out of the institution in Tucson where he had been incarcerated to go to a counseling session but did not return, court records show.
Two years earlier, in 2023, Schlegel was charged with transporting people in the U.S. illegally for financial gain in Arizona after authorities said he loaded more than a dozen people near the border into a truck, hid them under a tarp and drove away, court records show.
Agents followed the truck before Schlegel crashed and fled on foot, then allegedly threw rocks at a government helicopter before he was apprehended, the records show. Two pistols were found in the truck.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said the FBI asked it to lead a use-of-force investigation of the Border Patrol. It noted that such investigations are standard when a federal agency is involved in a shooting in the county.
The sheriff’s department said its involvement in the investigation was the result of “long standing relationships” built over time in the border area to promote transparency.
Nanos, a Democrat, has previously said his agency will not enforce federal immigration law amid President Donald Trump’s crackdown and that he will use his limited resources to focus on local crime and other public safety issues.
He said Tuesday there is video from the shooting but wasn't sure if it's police body camera footage or where it originated.
Arivaca is a community about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the border. Agents regularly patrol the area because it's a common path for drug smugglers and migrants who illegally cross the border.
Border Patrol agents fired weapons in eight incidents during the 12-month period through September 2025, 14 times during the year before that and 13 times the year before that.
The shooting comes in a month that has seen three shootings — two fatal — by immigration officers involved in the massive Homeland Security enforcement operation in Minnesota.
While there were numerous videos of those shootings taken by residents monitoring the enforcement operations in the Minneapolis area, the latest shooting in Arizona happened in a remote desert community of about 500 people without much video surfacing.
Associated Press writers Jacques Billeaud and Sejal Govindarao in Phoenix contributed to this report.
FILE - A U.S. Border Patrol patch is seen, Nov. 3, 2025, in Rosemont, Ill. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley, File)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevadans are choosing their party nominees Tuesday for two closely watched congressional seats and the governor’s race, among others, as the state grapples with an affordable housing shortage, exploding energy demand from data centers and federal cuts to key state programs.
The state has a closed primary, meaning only registered Democrats and Republicans will vote in party contests after an effort to open them up failed in 2024.
Several primaries feature matchups between candidates backed by party leaders and political outsiders promising change. Come November, the governor's race is considered one of the most competitive in the country, and holding on to the 3rd Congressional District is considered crucial for Democrats' hope of retaking the U.S. House.
Here's a look at the most prominent races:
Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Republican, is considered one of the most vulnerable governors in the country this fall.
The Democrats vying to challenge him include state Attorney General Aaron Ford, who has the backing of the Democratic congressional delegation and former Vice President Kamala Harris, and Alexis Hill, a county commissioner in northern Nevada who campaigned as a candidate willing to shake things up.
They focused their campaigns on affordability, as the state continues to see a shortage of affordable housing, some of the highest gas prices in the country and cuts to federal healthcare and food assistance programs.
Ford largely ignored Hill, instead directing his attacks at Lombardo and arguing that both the governor and Trump are responsible for Nevadans' economic woes. He is trying to become Nevada's first Black governor.
In the Republican contest to replace longtime Rep. Mark Amodei, who is retiring, President Donald Trump has endorsed David Flippo, a loyalist of the president who has never held elected office. Amodei and Lombardo have backed James Settelmeyer, a former state senator with a long political track record.
The district covers northern Nevada and includes Reno and Carson City, the capital, along with an immense rural expanse.
Trump-endorsed candidates have seen successful in primaries elsewhere, underscoring his unrivaled power over the Republican Party as he enters the last years of his presidency. He easily won the district in the 2024 presidential election.
The GOP nominee has a good chance of winning in November, as registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by 70,000 in the 2nd District. A Republican has held the seat since the district was created in the 1980s.
Still, Democrats hope to entice the large number of nonpartisan voters in the district this fall. Their candidates include Teresa Benitez-Thompson, a former majority floor leader of the Nevada Assembly, and Greg Kidd, an investor who ran in the last cycle as a nonpartisan.
Nevada’s other three members of Congress, all Democrats, are expected to win their primaries easily.
In the 3rd District, Republicans are battling to determine who will face Democratic Rep. Susie Lee in what is considered the most competitive congressional district in Nevada because of its narrow Democratic registration advantage, its high number of nonpartisan voters and a history of razor-thin election margins. In 2024 both Lee and Trump won narrowly.
Candidates include Trump-backed Marty O'Donnell, a composer who worked on the “Halo” video game series and ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2024; Jeff Gunter, a dermatologist and former ambassador to Iceland; neurosurgeon Aury Nagy; and businessperson Tera Anderson.
The candidates ran on border security, energy independence and decreasing the federal debt.
With Ford term-limited and running for governor, the opening has prompted competitive primaries for the state's top law enforcement post.
The Democratic side features state Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro and Treasurer Zach Conine. Both campaigned on promises to take on the Trump administration, following in the footsteps of Ford, who filed numerous lawsuits against the federal government.
For the Republicans, Trump-backed attorney Adriana Guzmán Fralick faces Douglas County commissioner Danny Tarkanian. Tarkanian, son of legendary University of Nevada, Las Vegas basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, previously ran unsuccessfully in multiple congressional races.
Both candidates campaigned on “election integrity,” casting doubt on voting security. Nevada is one of the swing states in which Trump falsely claimed the 2020 election was stolen, despite officials finding no evidence of widespread fraud.
Tarkanian promised to investigate voter fraud allegations, while Guzmán Fralick vowed to seek passage of the SAVE Nevada Act, which would be similar to changes Trump has sought at the federal level.
Her legislation would require all votes to be counted on Election Day, end universal mail ballots and eliminate automatic voter registration. It would almost certainly hit a dead end in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.
Several Republicans are running for secretary of state, the office that oversees elections, including some who falsely claimed the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. The winner of the primary will take on Democratic Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar.
The GOP candidates include Jim Marchant, a former state lawmaker and perennial candidate who has said the 2020 election “was probably stolen”; Sharron Angle, a former state lawmaker who was part of an effort to block the certification of Nevada's 2020 election results; and Shirley Folkins-Roberts, an attorney who received Lombardo's endorsement and has denied there is widespread fraud in Nevada's elections.
All the candidates support implementing voter ID, which will be on the ballot for the second time in November after the question passed by a wide margin in 2024.
Angle promises to enforce voter ID if voters pass it and supports Trump's executive order seeking to require documentary proof of citizenship to vote. The courts have so far halted that order, issued last year, from taking effect.
Marchant wants to eliminate electronic voting machines and end the state's universal mail ballot system. He also wants to require paper ballots, which would be counted by hand, according to his campaign website.
Folkins-Roberts said she will work to keep voter rolls accurate and up-to-date, require voter ID and ensure that election results are delivered on time. She also wants to reverse the automatic voter registration system. In an interview with News 4 Reno, Folkins-Roberts said she believes Nevada's elections are "good," but wants to improve voters' confidence by making changes.
David Flippo, a Republican candidate for Congress in Nevada's 2nd district, center right, cheers with supporters during a primary election night watch party Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Reno, Nev. (AP Photo/William Hale Irwin)
Gubernatorial candidate Aaron Ford, attorney general of Nevada, celebrates with attendees during a primary election night watch party after winning the Democratic nomination Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
People cast their ballots at a vote center set up inside a shopping mall Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, center, poses with supporters outside a vote center Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
FILE - Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Lee's Family Forum, Oct. 31, 2024, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
FILE - Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford speaks at the Biden-Harris for Nevada team first-in-the-West celebration, Feb. 6, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
