GABRIELA RICO

A suspected illegal immigrant stashed in the trunk of a car was killed when his smuggler shot at a Border Patrol agent after a routine traffic stop north of Tucson, Border Patrol officials said.
After being grazed in the ear, the agent returned fire and hit both the gunman, who was the passenger, and the female driver, said Rob Daniels, a spokesman for the Border Patrol's Tucson sector.

Two agents had stopped the car at about 10 p.m. on the Tohono O'odham Nation near Casa Grande, Daniels said.

One agent walked to the driver's side window, and the male passenger fired at him, Daniels said.

The agent returned fire, and the passenger continued shooting as the vehicle drove away, he said. The car then crashed.

The pair in the car, whose names have not be released, were airlifted to a Scottsdale hospital, where the man was treated and released into federal custody, Daniels said.

The female was still in the hospital last night, Daniels said, but he did not know her condition.

The immigrant in the trunk was killed by a smuggler's bullet that went through the back seat and into the trunk, Daniels said. His name was not released.

"Several" other people were in the trunk, he said. The survivors, believed to be Mexican citizens, were taken into Border Patrol custody.

The agent received stitches at a Casa Grande hospital and was released.

As with all agent-involved shootings, the FBI is investigating, and Daniels had no further information last night.

The Arizona Republic contributed to this report.