Canada closes border with Washington State after border officer shooting

(CNN) -- Canadian authorities closed a border crossing Tuesday afternoon across from Blaine, Washington, after a shooting of one of their border officers, officials said.

The officer was injured by the gunfire, and no other details were being released, said spokeswoman Patrizia Giolti of the Canada Border Services Agency.

The closed British Columbia port is known as the Douglas or the Peace Arch crossing, and Canadian authorities are asking motorists to use another area crossing, said Faith St. John with the Canada Border Services Agency.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police were investigating.

Dave Noble told CNN affiliate CTV that he saw a chaotic scene when he arrived at the crossing Tuesday.

About a dozen border guards with guns drawn encircled a white van.

"They had it surrounded. ... You knew something had gone down," he said. "It's very shocking. I feel terrible for the border guard. I come here quite a bit, and don't know any of them personally ... but there are some really nice people that work here."

Authorities told Lisa Kennedy that she and her family would be waiting for a while. She saw all the ambulances and police cars pull up to the scene, where the van's doors were opened.

"They said, 'Hold on, you guys are going to be here for a long time. We've had an injury, a fairly serious one," Kennedy told CTV.

Canadian Minister of Public Safety Vic Toews said he was "deeply concerned by the news of the shooting today at the Peace Arch border crossing of a CBSA officer."

"This event is a sobering reminder of the dangerous conditions faced daily by the men and women of our law enforcement agencies as they work to protect the safety and security of Canadians," Toews said.

About 60 vehicles were stranded on the Canadian side of the border.

CNN's Amanda Watts contributed to this report.