Lucio R Borderland Beat republished from KPHO AZ Thanks goes out to the reader who sent in the story
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“One of my concerns about the violence is the fact that may spill over to this big metropolitan area of Phoenix and other places”
The search continued for several suspects who shot and killed two men and wounded two others in a gun battle six miles east of Gila Bend.
The shootings occurred a high-traffic corridor known for human and drug smuggling.
The bodies of the two men were found by Maricopa County sheriff's investigators in a cave about six miles east of Gila Bend Monday afternoon. Two other men who were seriously hurt were airlifted to the West Valley Hospital in Goodyear.
“We're hoping one will be able to talk and give us more information,” Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
The names and ages of the dead and wounded were not released.
Semi-automatic weapons and other evidence found in the cave were seized.
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| The hot dry elements of the Az desert, traffickers of humans and drugs, La Migra hunting down migrants,all make success unlikely for undocumented migrants crossing the rugged desert. The crosses above, were made by inmates of tent city and represent the bodies of migrants discovered |
One of the wounded men called 911 around 12:30 p.m. Monday reporting he and three others had been shot, according to Arpaio. The caller said the incident had occurred one hour earlier and it was unclear why he had delayed calling.
Arpaio said sheriff's SWAT officers located the area and set up a perimeter to protect the investigators from any threat. No suspects were located.
“We have an intensive investigation going on to identify the shooters,” Arpaio said.
A number of bales of marijuana were found in the area but they've not been linked to the shooting scene.
“One of my concerns about the violence is the fact that may spill over to this big metropolitan area of Phoenix and other places,” Arpaio said.
Last week, MCSO, working with border patrol agents, made three significant seizures of drugs near Gila Bend. A total of 12 people were arrested and more than $500,000 worth of drugs were seized.