The FBI is investigating the fatal shooting of a U.S. Border Patrol agent that occurred on Monday along a highway in northern Vermont, just south of the Canadian border. Authorities confirmed the agent's death, with the FBI and Benjamin Huffman, acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, providing official statements.
The FBI said the shooting occurred on Interstate 91 in Coventry, about 20 miles from the Canadian border. One suspect was also killed in the shooting, and a second suspect was injured and taken into custody, in addition to the Border Patrol agent. The FBI said there is no continuing threat.
Mr. Huffman confirmed in a statement that the agent died "in the line of duty," although he did not identify the agent. The agent worked out of the U.S. Border Patrol's Swanton Sector, which includes parts of Vermont, New York, and New Hampshire.
Federal officials have withheld further details of the incident but indicated that additional information would be released as the investigation progresses. In the aftermath of the shooting, a section of Interstate 91 was closed for approximately two hours before the northbound lane reopened around 5 p.m.
In addition to federal authorities, the Vermont State Police have joined the investigation, with the FBI’s Albany, New York office leading the response.
"The murder of this Border Patrol agent will be investigated as quickly as possible," said Mr. Huffman. "On a daily basis, Border Patrol agents put their lives on the line to uphold the security of the American citizenry and our own nation."
Coventry is the location near which U.S. Customs and Border Protection is based. They are stationed at the Newport Station in the Swanton Sector. The sector includes approximately 295 miles of international boundary between the United States and Canada.
In response, Vermont's Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Peter Welch, and Representative Becca Balint followed suit with a statement of their own, condoling with the agent's family. They further reiterated the need to provide full support to the agents of the Border Patrol by the necessary staffing, decent wages, and better working conditions.
This is a case that showed the ongoing risks that Border Patrol agents of the United States face in fulfilling their vital duties on this country's borders.