Story highlights Officials: Agent fired when a suspected illegal border crosser assaulted him

Incident happened along U.S.-Canada border

(CNN) Federal and local authorities are investigating a deadly shooting by a U.S. Border Patrol Agent in Washington State.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the agent fired when a suspected "illegal border crosser" assaulted him during a patrol along the U.S.-Canadian border on Thursday.

The reported shooting happened near the Huntington Border Crossing which connects the cities of Sumas, Washington, and Abbotsford, British Columbia. It is one of several area border crossings between the U.S. and Canada and is located east of Bellingham, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Bellingham Herald newspaper , citing police radio dispatches, said the man was struck in the head.

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