The U.S. Coast Guard said a person from the Dominican Republic died after it fired at a fleeing boat in the Caribbean Sea that was smuggling an estimated $11 million worth of cocaine.
The agency said Thursday that Coast Guard officials aboard a U.S. Navy ship fired “warning shots and disabling fire” during the Jan. 1 incident and found an injured crew member when they boarded.
The statement said that the person received first aid and was medically evacuated to the Dominican Republic, where they died. The person was not identified.
Fatal shootings involving the Coast Guard are rare.
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“The Coast Guard takes any loss of life seriously and is working to investigate the incident,” spokesman Lt. Cmdr. John W. Beal said.
No further details were immediately available.
Two other suspected smugglers were arrested and 848 pounds (385 kilograms) of cocaine were seized from the boat, according to the Coast Guard.
