A U.S. Border Patrol agent was murdered while conducting a traffic stop in Vermont close to the Quebec border in the Swanton Sector. The suspected shooter was also fatally shot and another suspect was rushed to the hospital.
Agent David Maland was fatally shot on Monday afternoon as well as a German national who was in the U.S. on what the FBI call a valid visa.
An injured suspect was also shot and taken into custody and is being treated at a local hospital.
While much of the details remain unknown, sources told U.S. media outlets that the agent was fatally shot in the neck and died.
However, no immediate information is available on the motivation for the shooting or who was involved.
The case is now being handled by the FBI.
“Every single day, our Border Patrol agents put themselves in harm’s way so that Americans and our homeland are safe and secure. My prayers and deepest condolences are with our Department, the Agent’s family, loved ones, and colleagues,” said Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman in a statement.
Malan was killed close to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Newport Station, which is part of the Swanton Sector, an area of land known to be a hotspot for illegal crossings used by those trying to illegally enter both countries.
The Swanton Sector runs 475 km along both Ontario and Quebec and U.S. states Vermont, New York and New Hampshire.
Quebec Premier François Legault announced that his government would begin deploying the Sûreté du Québec to patrol that area last fall to prevent a potential onslaught of illegal immigrants from entering Canada.
The Quebec government feared that a surge of illegal immigrants would overwhelm the Quebec border in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidential election after he promised mass deportations for those found to be residing in the U.S. illegally.
“We can’t afford to have a Roxham 2.0,” Legault said in November.
Vermont’s Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Peter Welch and Rep. Becca Balint released a joint statement expressing their condolences to the Malan’s family, saying that Border Patrol agents “deserve our full support in terms of staffing, pay and working conditions.”
According to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson, Maland was a U.S. Air Force veteran. He was 44 years old.