US Border Patrol agent fatally shot during traffic stop in Vermont
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Officials said the ‘incident is being swiftly investigated’. A United States border agent was gunned down during a traffic stop in Vermont near the Canadian border, officials have confirmed. It happened around 3:15 p.m. Monday on Interstate 91 in Coventry, 20 miles from the Northern border, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The FBI said in a statement that one of the suspects was killed and a second suspect was injured and taken into custody. There was no immediate information on what prompted the shooting. “Today, January 20, a Border Patrol agent assigned to the US Border Patrol’s Swanton Sector was fatally shot in the line of duty,” he wrote. “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.”.
Federal authorities did not provide additional details but said they would be released as they became available. There is no further threat to the public. A portion of Interstate 91 was closed in both directions for about two hours afterward on Monday. The northbound lane reopened just after 5 p.m.
Besides federal authorities, the Vermont State Police was also investigating. The FBI responded from the Albany, New York, office. In a joint statement, Vermont’s Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Peter Welch and Rep. Becca Balint sent condolences to the agent’s family and said Border Patrol agents “deserve our full support in terms of staffing, pay and working conditions.”.
