Deputy US Marshal shot and killed while serving federal warrant

A deputy U.S. Marshal was shot and killed in the line of duty Thursday evening in Tuscon, Arizona.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Chase White, 41, was shot while trying to serve a felony warrant to 26-year-old Ryan Schlesinger at a residence in the city's Miracle Manor neighborhood around 5:30 p.m. local time. The marshal was with other service officers at the time, authorities said.

Tuscon police officers responded to the scene shortly after the shooting and surrounded Schlesinger's one-story home. The suspect ultimately surrendered and was taken into custody without incident or injury, authorities said.

White was rushed to a local hospital where he died.

"This is a tragic night for law enforcement in Tuscon and obviously across the state of Arizona," Tuscon Police Chief Chris Magnus said at a press conference Thursday. "Our hearts go out to this marshal's family."

The police chief said serving warrants can be "very dangerous" work.

"You never really know how somebody is going to react to that," he explained. "Obviously, a warrant still means that somebody has their day in court but there are times when the individual being served doesn't see it that way and we really don't know what's going through their head when they make a decision to do something like this."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident.

"It's very tough and it’s hard to make any sense of it, but that’s what the investigation is for and we’ll know more in the upcoming days and weeks," Magnus told reporters.

White was raised in central Illinois and joined the U.S. Marshals Service in 2015, after serving for several years in the U.S. Air Force. He leaves behind a wife and four children.

Tributes to White's bravery rang out up and down the line of local, state and federal law enforcement communities. He is the first federal marshal to be killed in the line of duty in Tuscon in 66 years.

"The District of Arizona lost one of its finest last night. Deputy Chase White was an outstanding professional, a man who was dedicated to eradicating crime from the streets of Tucson," United States Marshal David Gonzales, District of Arizona, said in a statement Friday. "Please keep his family, and his brothers and sisters in the law enforcement community, in your thoughts as we deal with this tragedy. Losing one of our own is the most difficult situation we face."

Acting Deputy Director of the U.S. Marshals Service David J. Anderson weighed in, too.

“We are all extremely saddened by the tragic death of our brother, Deputy U.S. Marshal Chase White, last night in Tucson, Arizona. He was shot and killed while performing his mission," Anderson said in a statement Friday. "It’s a dangerous job, but Chase was devoted to making his community and this nation safer. His sacrifice will not be forgotten."

"Our thoughts are with his family and friends, and our law enforcement community. The nation lost a hero last night," he added.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey took to Twitter to express his "deepest condolences" to the slain marshal's family and fellow law enforcement officers.