A tragic incident unfolded at a Phoenix gun range on Thursday when an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agent was fatally shot by a colleague during a training exercise.
The mishap occurred at the Federal Correctional Institution Phoenix Firing Range, as confirmed by a spokesperson from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, according to Arizona's Family.
Charlotte M. Dennis, from the Phoenix Field Office of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, expressed her concern for the deceased agent and his family. "Our concern today is for the agent and their family, she stated. The identity of the deceased agent has not been disclosed by the authorities, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is currently probing the incident.
Following the shooting, the agent was rushed to HonorHealth Deer Valley Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. The IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS CI) agents, who are full-fledged law enforcement officers, form the law enforcement branch of the IRS. The IRS CI comprises "approximately 3,000 employees worldwide, about 2,100 of whom are special agents," as per the IRS webpage on the branch.
The IRS CI, headquartered in Washington DC, is the sole entity authorized to investigate tax crimes. It fills a unique niche in the federal law enforcement community, investigating "tax code violations and other related financial crimes such as money laundering, public corruption, cybercrimes, identity theft, narcotics, and terrorist-financing."
This incident comes amidst the IRS facing scrutiny over attempts to expand the agency's power and reach. Last year, President Joe Biden's administration made efforts to bolster the IRS agency with nearly 87,000 additional agents, 70,000 of whom would be armed. An IRS job posting, criticized by Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz, indicated that IRS agents might have to "carry a firearm and be willing to use deadly force, if necessary."
In response, GOP members in Congress passed a bill in January to repeal Biden's proposal and terminate the funding allocated for the new agents. Furthermore, a New York Post report highlighted the IRS' $700k ammo stockpile, drawing more scrutiny as Democrats recently approved an additional $80 billion in funding for the agency.
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