Alexander Sanderlieb Kirpnick, 27, was killed on June 3, 1998, while on duty as a Border Patrol Agent a couple of miles north of the Mexican border in Arizona. Kirpnick and his partner confronted five people suspected of smuggling drugs. During the struggle Kirpnick subdued two suspects; as his partner controlled the other three, one smuggler produced a handgun and fired a single shot that struck Kirpnick in the head. He was airlifted to a hospital but died in the early morning hours.

All five suspects were later arrested. The shooter was located in Mexico, extradited to the United States, tried, convicted of murder and given two consecutive life sentences. A stone monument now stands in Potrero Canyon near the shooting site as a tribute to Kirpnick’s service and sacrifice.