The U.S. Border Patrol agent killed in a shootout with armed suspects Monday has been identified as 44-year-old David Maland, a Customs and Border Protection source told Fox News.
The veteran agent died Monday after a traffic stop on Interstate 91 between Newport and Orleans, Vermont, around 3:15 p.m. Monday, about 20 miles south of the U.S.-Canada border, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
“A Border Patrol agent assigned to the US Border Patrol’s Swanton Sector was fatally shot in the line of duty,” acting DHS Secretary Benjamine Huffman said in a statement. “Every single day, our Border Patrol agents put themselves in harm’s way so that Americans and our homeland are safe and secure.”
US BORDER PATROL AGENT KILLED IN VERMONT TRAFFIC STOP: DHS
The ensuing shootout left Maland and one suspect dead. A second suspect was injured and has been taken into custody, according to the FBI.
The suspects’ immigration status was not immediately available.
Remote-controlled robots were spotted at the scene examining a backpack and other gear with a suspect’s body still visible in the background.
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Vermont State Police closed ther interstate in both directions near mile marker 168 for hours Monday, eventually reopening only the northbound lane.
The FBI’s Albany branch is investigating.
The shooting came just hours after President Trump was inaugurated to a second term. He campaigned heavily on securing the border and defending law enforcement.
Authorities have long warned that under the Biden-Harris administration, illegal entries had soared at the northern border with Canada alongside a more visible influx across the country’s southern edge.
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