The FBI and the Texas Ranger Division are investigating the shooting of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter, which was flying over an ill-famed Mexican border area on Friday evening.

The pilot and crew of the Office of Air and Marine chopper were reportedly on an operational flight around Rio Grander, North Laredo, when the helicopter came under fire at around 5:30 p.m. near Bota Ranch.

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CNN reports that the pilot, whose name has not been released, was compelled to make an emergency landing in Texas after the incident. No injuries were recorded. According to Martion Cuellar, Webb County Sheriff, preliminary investigations reveal that the helicopter was shot at least five times. However, only two shots are said to have struck the helicopter.

The Associated Press reported that the gun shots hit the helicopter's right side and damaged the rotor blade.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has confirmed that one of its helicopters was shot at over the weekend. In a statement, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said "Our helicopter actually landed in Laredo and there were no injuries."

The incident is already being investigated by U.S. authorities, who are working closely with Mexican officials to establish where exactly the gun shot were fired from and the motives. According to reports, the Texas Ranger and the FBI launched an investigation into the shooting of the helicopter on Saturday. Preliminary investigations suggest that the helicopter was shot from the Mexican side of the border.

"The rounds penetrated and damaged the aircraft, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing," an FBI press release read. "The pilot sustained no injuries and no individuals on the ground were affected."

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter was flying over a notorious area that is rife with crime, including the smuggling of narcotics and illegal border crossing.

Laredo Police spokesman Joe Baeza said gunshots are usually heard in the area, however he noted that cross border shootings are very rare.

At the time of writing this article, no suspects have been arrested for the shooting of the US Border Protection helicopter.

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