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Sheriff: Border Patrol agent was assaulted before shooting migrant in Arizona

In a statement Thursday, investigators said a migrant was armed with a large rock before an agent fatally shot them Saturday night.

DOUGLAS, Ariz. — Editor's Note: The above video is from an earlier broadcast.

The Cochise County Sheriff's Office said the Border Patrol agent who fatally shot a man Saturday night was assaulted by the migrant before shots were fired.

In a statement released Thursday, the agency investigating the fatal officer-involved shooting in southern Arizona said the federal agent was reacting in self-defense when the agent shot 32-year-old Carmelo Cruz-Marcos from Puebla Mexico.

The agent was patrolling a remote area about 30 miles northeast of Douglas when he and another agent came across a group of undocumented migrants that included Cruz-Marcos. 

As the agent chased after the man down a hill, CCSO said the agent and Cruz-Marcos both tripped and stumbled several times.  

The agent told CCSO the man then struck his shoulder and two proceeded to get into a scuffle on the ground. 

Cruz-Marcos allegedly elbowed the agent before getting up and running a few feet to retrieve a rock, CCSO said. 

The man allegedly turned back toward the agent and raised his hand with the rock. The agent told CCSO he was in "fear for his life" and decided to fire his gun at Cruz-Marcos. 

The man's family in Mexico has been notified of his death. 

CCSO said it would release more details about the investigation as they become available. 

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