Border Patrol kills man at Canadian border

SUMAS, Wash., March 20 (UPI) -- A U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot a man after a struggle as he was trying to cross the Canadian border illegally early Thursday, authorities said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the incident unfolded about 2:30 p.m. Thursday. The man tried to cross the border in the small town of Sumas, near British Columbia. The shooting happened less than 1,000 feet from the border in a rural area.

The Bellingham Herald, citing reports on police radios, said the man was shot in the head.

"The agent had been hit by pepper spray but wasn't seriously hurt, according to police radio traffic," the newspaper reported.