Bulk Marijuana Found Before Shootout On Tucson Amtrak: Complaint

TUCSON, AZ — Agents had found bulk marijuana in a bag on an Amtrak train stopped in Tucson on Monday right before a suspect opened fire, killing Drug Enforcement Administration agent Michael Garbo.

Another DEA agent and a Tucson police officer were shot multiple times. They have not been publicly identified but were in stable condition at Banner University Medical Center as of Tuesday.

According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court, the agents were performing a routine check of the train for drugs and guns, and became suspicious when they saw Devonte Okeith Mathis put down two bags a few rows away from where he was sitting and walk away.

When officers asked, Mathis said the bags weren't his, according to the complaint.

Officers then said they found bulk marijuana in one of the backpacks. That's when Garbo and the other DEA agent went back onto the train to speak with a second suspect seated in the same row as Mathis, the complaint said. The agents were met with gunfire, according to the complaint.

Garbo was shot and killed, and the second agent was shot and rushed to the hospital in a Tucson police car, according to police. A Tucson police officer was also shot and taken to the hospital.

The second suspect barricaded himself in a train bathroom, according to police and was later pronounced dead.

Mathis is charged with felony possession of less than 110 pounds of marijuana with intent to distribute, according to court documents. He could face up to five years in prison if convicted.

In the bags, authorities found more than 5 pounds of marijuana and 50 packages of marijuana edibles and other marijuana products, law enforcement officials said.

No injuries were reported to the remaining 137 passengers and 11 crew members onboard the train where the shooting took place. The shooting happened onboard Amtrak's Sunset Limited, which had stopped in Tucson on Monday morning on its way from Los Angeles to New Orleans.