COVENTRY, Vermont — On Monday, a U.S. Border Patrol agent was shot and killed on a highway in northern Vermont, just south of the border with Canada.
The FBI and Benjamine Huffman, who is acting head of the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, were both able to confirm the death.
The FBI said in a statement that the gunfight happened on Interstate 91 in Coventry, which is about 20 miles (32 km) from the Canadian border. During the fight, one suspect in the killing was killed and another was hurt and taken into custody.
The FBI said that the public was not in danger at this time.
Huffman said that the person died “in the line of duty.” The agent was from the U.S. Border Patrol’s Swanton Sector, but his or her name was not released right away. Vermont, as well as parts of New York and New Hampshire, are in this area.
The federal government didn’t give any more information, but they did say that they would share it as soon as it was ready.
After that, a part of Interstate 91 was closed in both ways for about two hours. The lane going north opened up again just after 5 p.m. The Vermont State Police were also looking into it, along with federal officials. The FBI sent a message from its office in Albany, New York.
Huffman said that the death would be looked into “immediately.”
For the safety of Americans and our country, Huffman said in a statement, “Every day, our Border Patrol agents put themselves in danger.”
To the south of Coventry is the Newport Station of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is in the Swanton Sector. The international border with Canada runs through this area for 295 miles (475 kilometers).
The family of the agent was told in a statement by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Peter Welch, and Rep. Becca Balint that they were sorry for their loss and that Border Patrol agents “deserve our full support in terms of staffing, pay, and working conditions.”
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