A U.S. Customs and Border Protection firearms instructor was fatally shot at a Miami-area gun range Wednesday, officials said.
Police were called to the range west of Miami shortly before 10:30 a.m. and found an officer shot. He was taken to a hospital, where he died, Miami-Dade police said.
Details about how the shooting occurred were not released at an afternoon news conference, and the officer was not immediately identified.
CBP spokesman Michael Silva told reporters the officer was a spouse, father and “just all-around great guy.”
He was assigned to Miami International Airport and a firearms instructor, Silva said.
“Great officer, a great family, and it’s a tragic loss,” Silva said at the news conference, according to live video carried by WPLG-TV of Miami.
The officer was on duty at the weapons range when the shooting occurred, the agency said in a statement.
Miami-Dade police are investigating. A police spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for more details Wednesday night.
NBC Miami, citing police, reported that preliminary findings suggest the shooting was an accident.
Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez III said in a statement that the police department offered its condolences to the border agency.
