A US Customs and Border Protection officer is killed at a Florida shooting range, police say

By CNN

Published October 20, 2022 9:47 PM

WSVN

By Andi Babineau, Jamiel Lynch and Melissa Alonso, CNN

An officer with the US Customs and Border Protection was unintentionally shot and killed by a fellow officer during a training exercise at a Florida shooting range, police said Thursday.

Jorge Arias was serving as a firearms instructor at Trail Glades Range in Miami on Wednesday when officials say he was accidentally shot by another officer, a spokesperson for Miami-Dade police said.

“A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer working at the agency’s weapons range was injured while on duty,” the agency said in a news release.

Arias was airlifted to a hospital for treatment and was later pronounced dead, officials said.

“We wouldn’t be doing this job unless we had a calling and a love for the job. It’s something he took pride in,” Customs and Border Protection spokesperson Michael Silva said.

Arias was assigned to the Miami International Airport, Silva said, adding Arias was a great officer whose loss is tragic. He had been with the federal agency for nine years, police said.

First responders found Arias shot in the chest Wednesday morning, police said.

Police did not release any additional information about how exactly the shooting unfolded besides saying it was accidental in nature. They also did not give details about the training.

The Miami-Dade police homicide bureau is leading the investigation with cooperation from the federal customs agency.

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