Wisconsin Man Killed After Shooting at Officers While Fleeing Border Patrol Checkpoint

A Wisconsin man was shot and killed Wednesday after fleeing a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in West Texas and firing at pursuing law enforcement officers, authorities said.

The man, identified as James Douglas McMillan, 33, of Greenfield, Wisconsin, initially stopped at a Border Patrol checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, about 90 miles southeast of El Paso, before driving away when an agency K-9 alerted to his vehicle and agents directed him to pull over for a secondary inspection, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Troopers and aircraft from the department's aviation patrol unit joined the pursuit on Interstate 10 around 10:30 a.m. local time, said Sheridan Nolen, a spokeswoman for the agency. During the chase, McMillan fired a gun from his vehicle at state troopers, Border Patrol agents and local sheriff's deputies, Nolen said. He also fired "indiscriminately at civilian vehicles."

Officers returned fire and used a maneuver designed to disable a suspect's vehicle by striking it. McMillan eventually stopped and barricaded himself inside the car before pointing a weapon at officers, Nolen said. Officers then shot and killed him. Authorities said no passengers were in the vehicle, and no officers or civilians were injured during the pursuit. It was not immediately clear which officers discharged their weapons.

Investigators also said the vehicle McMillan was driving had been reported stolen in Arizona. Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The incident comes amid several recent confrontations involving federal immigration agents. In February, a Border Patrol agent shot a person who authorities said fired at the agent near the Canadian border in Pittsburg, New Hampshire. The individual survived and was taken to a hospital while federal authorities opened an investigation into the shooting.

In late January in Arizona, federal agents shot and critically injured a suspect accused of firing at a Border Patrol helicopter during an investigation into suspected human smuggling near the U.S.-Mexico border. The man, identified by authorities as Patrick Gary Schlegel, was taken into federal custody and is expected to face charges including assault on a federal officer.

Federal officials have said assaults on law enforcement officers during border enforcement operations will be investigated and prosecuted. FBI officials in the Arizona case said that "any assault on law enforcement officers will not be tolerated," adding that investigators will pursue those who threaten or harm officers.