A shooting incident Monday in Vermont, just south of the Canadian border, left one U.S. Border Patrol agent and another dead on duty, officials said.
According to Vermont State Police, the incident occurred on Interstate 91 in Coventry around 3:15 p.m. Monday.
“One U.S. Border Patrol agent and one subject were killed. Another subject was injured and is in custody,” the FBI Albany office said.
The FBI did not provide details of the incident, but said it was investigating “an alleged assault on a federal officer in connection with a fatal shooting by a U.S. Border Patrol agent.”
The FBI was working with partners from the U.S. Border Patrol and Vermont State Police to process the scene yesterday. Officials said at the time there was no threat to the public and Interstate 91 was closed for search operations.
“Today, January 20, a Border Patrol agent assigned to the U.S. Border Patrol’s Swanton Sector was shot and killed in the line of duty,” Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamin Huffman said in a statement Monday.
“Border Patrol agents put themselves at risk every day to ensure the safety of the American people and our homeland. Our prayers and deepest condolences go out to our department, the agents’ families and loved ones, And I join my colleagues in dedicating it,” Huffman said. “This incident is being rapidly investigated and DHS will release additional information as it becomes available.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Peter Welch, and Rep. Becca Balint released a joint statement on Monday saying: ”
“We extend our deepest condolences to the agent’s family and the Border Patrol. We will continue to monitor this situation with federal and state authorities and extend our deepest condolences to the first responders and emergency medical providers who responded to the scene. We are grateful,” the statement continued.
