PHOENIX: A Drug Enforcement Administration special agent who was shot and killed by an Amtrak train passenger in Arizona was a revered leader whose career spanned almost two decades, the agency said Tuesday.
Group Supervisor Michael Garbo, who also went by Mike, possessed expertise and a manner that were legendary, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in a statement.
Across DEA, Group Supervisor Garbo was universally loved and respected for his leadership, and for his unrelenting passion to protect the safety of the American people. Above all else, he was a devoted and loving father and husband, she said.
Garbo’s identity was confirmed earlier by two people familiar with the matter but who could not discuss it publicly. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Garbo came to the federal agency in 2005. As a special agent and supervisor, he pursued criminal drug traffickers at the U.S.-Mexico border and in Afghanistan. Members of the law enforcement community took to social media to describe Garbo as an excellent police officer who started out in Nashville, Tennessee. The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said someone with the same name worked there between 1993 and 2005 but could not confirm he was the deceased agent.
Gov. Doug Ducey ordered flags at state buildings remain at half-staff until sunset Wednesday in Garbo’s honor.
A second agent and a Tucson police officer were wounded in the Monday morning shooting. The agent was listed in critical condition while the officer was in stable condition. Authorities have not released their identities.
The Sunset Limited, Train 2, was carrying 137 passengers and 11 crew members traveling from Los Angeles to New Orleans, and arrived at the downtown Tucson station at 7:40 am, said Jason Abrams, an Amtrak spokesman.
The shooting occurred about 20 minutes later and sent panicked passengers running. A regional task force of DEA agents and Tucson police officers had boarded one of the cars to do a check for illegal money, weapons and drugs.
Officers were in the middle of detaining a man on the upper level of the double-decker car when a second man pulled out a handgun and began firing. He exchanged several rounds with police and then barricaded himself in a bathroom on the lower level, according to Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus.
He was later found dead inside.
The other suspect was arrested. Authorities have not said what charges he faces or his relationship to the slain suspect.
There were no other injuries among the train’s passengers or crew.
___
Associated Press writer Mike Balsamo in Washington contributed to this report.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Read all the Latest News , Breaking News and IPL 2022 Live Updates here.
Comments
0 comment