Phoenix ? Authorities searching for drug smugglers who shot and wounded an Arizona sheriff’s deputy in the desert south of Phoenix said they captured 17 suspected illegal immigrants Saturday, including three who may have been involved in the incident.

The three matched descriptions given by the Pinal County sheriff’s deputy who was grazed by a bullet fired by a group of about five smugglers. They were questioned but were not believed to have been the actual shooters, sheriff’s Lt. Tamatha Villar said.

The deputy was released from the hospital several hours after the Friday afternoon incident. He is expected to return to work next week.