DEA Agent Killed In Tucson Identified As Mike Garbo

TUCSON, AZ — Michael G. Garbo was the Drug Enforcement Administration agent shot and killed on an Amtrak train stopped in Tucson Monday, according to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.

Garbo joined the agency in 2005. He served the DEA for more than 16 years as a special agent and then as a group supervisor, who combatted drug trafficking from Mexico to Afghanistan.

"Garbo’s operational expertise, mentorship, and leadership were legendary in the Tucson community," Milgram said in a statement. "With unparalleled talent and courage, he carried out duties ranging from tactical instruction to serving as a member of the Phoenix Field Division Special Response Team. Across DEA, Group Supervisor Garbo was universally loved and respected for his leadership, and for his unrelenting passion to protect the safety of the American people. Above all else, he was a devoted and loving father and husband. DEA mourns the loss of our beloved colleague."

Another DEA agent and a Tucson Police officer were shot multiple times on the Sunset Limited Monday morning, which was stopped in Tucson on its way from Los Angeles to New Orleans. Their names were not released, but Milgram said they were in stable condition as of Tuesday afternoon.

One of the suspects in the shooting was shot and killed on the train and another was detained, Tucson Police said during a news conference. Police did not release the names of the suspects.

Steve Antle helped train Garbo when he joined Metropolitan Nashville Police Department in Tennessee in the early 1990s. The two became friends and worked together for more than a decade. From the start, Antle believed that Garbo was born for the job.

"From the time he entered law enforcement he was a natural at it," Antle told Patch in a phone interview. "Not everybody can be a cop."

Antle remembers Garbo's excellent intuition, his ability to read people and his dedication to physical fitness, all important skills for law enforcement officers. Garbo served on Nashville area SWAT and proved during that time that he was the kind of man willing to run toward danger, Antle said.

The two mostly lost touch when Garbo joined the DEA, but they still spoke from time to time, Antle said.

When Antle heard the news Monday night that Garbo had been killed in the line of duty, he was shocked. It was always in the back of Antle's mind that Garbo was out there doing good work for the DEA.

"This hit me out of left field," Antle said.

Antle lamented that Garbo was not that far off from retirement, believing that Garbo would have done well for himself in the private sector.

Antle remembered Garbo as a man with a great sense of humor, but who took his job seriously and excelled in every aspect of it.

As of Tuesday, the FBI was still processing the scene of the shooting, according to Brooke Brennan, FBI Phoenix public affairs specialist.

"We would like to thank our local and federal partners, and Amtrak for their assistance," Brennan said in an email. "Due to the ongoing nature of this investigation, we cannot provide any further detail at this time."

The incident began around 8 a.m. Monday as agents with the Regional Counter Narcotics Alliance, including DEA agents and Tucson Police, boarded the train for a routine check for guns and drugs, according to Tucson Police.

While officers worked to detain one person seated on the train, another person shot at the officers with a handgun, police said.

A Tucson Police officer on the platform heard the shots, ran onboard the train and was shot, police said.

After exchanging fire with task force members, the suspect accused of shooting at police barricaded himself in a bathroom, police said. That man was later pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.