IRS agent accidentally shoots, kills another agent at Phoenix gun range

An IRS agent was killed at a Phoenix gun range on Thursday during a training exercise when he was accidentally shot by a fellow agent.  

A Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesperson confirmed that the incident occurred at the Federal Correctional Institution Phoenix Firing Range operated by the bureau, Arizona's Family reported.

Charlotte M. Dennis of the Phoenix Field Office of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division told reporters that she was aware the incident had taken place.  

“Our concern today is for the agent and their family,” Dennis said in a statement. 

The agent who has died was not identified by authorities and the FBI is investigating the incident.  

After the shooting, the agent was taken to HonorHealth Deer Valley Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.  

IRS criminal investigation (IRS CI) agents are the law enforcement branch of the IRS and full law enforcement officers. The IRS CI is composed of "approximately 3,000 employees worldwide, about 2,100 of whom are special agents," according to the IRS webpage on the branch  

As the IRS is the only entity that can investigate tax crimes, the criminal-related agents "fill a unique niche in the federal law enforcement community." The IRS CI is headquartered in Washington DC.  

The IRS CI branch investigates "tax code violations and other related financial crimes such as money laundering, public corruption, cybercrimes, identity theft, narcotics and terrorist-financing." 

The shooting comes at a time when the IRS has been faced scrutiny because of efforts to expand the agency's power and reach. President Joe Biden's administration increased efforts to enlarge the general IRS agency with nearly 87,000 more agents last year, of which 70,000 would be armed.

In one IRS job posting, criticized by Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz, IRS agents were told that they may have to "carry a firearm and be willing to use deadly force, if necessary." 

Other Congressional GOP members passed a bill to repeal the proposal by Biden and end the funding that would go to the new agents in January.  

In addition, a report from the New York Post covered more scrutiny of the IRS' $700k ammo stockpile as Democrats recently voted to greenlight $80 billion more in funding to the agency.