by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First, Vermont Business Magazine
A U.S. Border Patrol Agent and a foreign national are dead after a shooting in Coventry in Orleans County Monday afternoon, Vermont News First has been told and the FBI and Homeland Security have confirmed.
At least one other suspect, believed to be a woman, was wounded in the shootout and is being treated at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. She is under armed guard by law enforcement.
The dead Border Patrol Agent has been identified as David Maland, 44, officials said Tuesday.
A Vermont State Trooper from the nearby Derby barracks, who came to assist the Border Patrol agent, rendered emergency first aid to the fallen officer, officials said.
Rescue personnel soon arrived to assist both wounded persons.
The incident reportedly stemmed from a U.S. Homeland Security Operation organized in Vermont, police said. Officials said at least one of the subjects may have overstayed a visa and was being monitored in recent days.
The FBI office in Albany, which is leading the investigation, said that it will not be releasing the identification of either subject at this time, however, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed later Tuesday the deceased subject is a German national in the U.S. on a current visa.
The Vermont Crime Scene Search Team braved bitter-cold temperatures on Monday combing the area for clues, including gunshot evidence. Members were still out on I-91 on Tuesday looking for evidence.
The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes Vermont State Police, is taking the lead on the investigation.
Investigators will be working with Acting U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher, who took over the office on Monday.
The FBI in Albany, N.Y. did eventually confirm some of the information shortly after 8:30 Monday night.
The FBI said the Border Patrol Agent was killed and another person is dead. The FBI also confirmed another "subject" was injured and in custody.
"FBI personnel will be working with our partners from U.S. Border Patrol and Vermont State Police to gather evidence and process the scene. While there is no threat to the public, Interstate 91 will remain closed due to investigative activity," a spokeswoman said.
"This is an active investigation, and FBI Albany will work to provide more details as they become available," she said. No more information was immediately available.
Authorities were hard pressed to remember the last time a federal agent was killed in the line of duty in Vermont. Vermont did lose some federal agents during prohibition, according to noted historian Scott Wheeler, publisher of the Northland Journal in Derby.
A considerable number of Vermonters have changed their Facebook picture tonight to show support for the U.S. Border Patrol by showing one of its badges with the black "mourning ban" signifying the death of a law enforcement officer.
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman was among those on Monday afternoon to confirm the death of a U.S. Border Patrol Agent in the line of duty.
"Every single day, our Border Patrol agents put themselves in harm’s way so that Americans and our homeland are safe and secure," he said.
"My prayers and deepest condolences are with our Department, the Agent’s family, loved ones, and colleagues. This incident is being swiftly investigated and DHS will release additional information as soon as it becomes available," Huffman said.
The Border Patrol has seen an increase in Vermont in the number of undocumented immigrants cases that involve firearms, especially by people picking up so-called “Border Jumpers.”
For the past four years Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. has muzzled Border Patrol employees and leaders out in the field, including along the Vermont border. They were told to redirect questions from the public to headquarters.
Most of the details about the Monday shooting were coming out of Washington, D.C. Officials in Vermont say they were unsure what they could say about the federal operation.
Vermont News First was told that federal, state, county and local law enforcement were flooding the area after the shooting.
A Vermont State Police commander said details are limited about the shooting, but Interstate 91 was shutdown in both directions.
A subsequent VSP news release said the incident actually happened in the town of Coventry. The FBI has become the lead investigative agency and state police continues to provide back-up assistance, VSP spokesman Adam Silverman said.
One witness reported seeing an unmarked gray or dirty white pickup truck with flashing blue and red emergency lights stopped on the side of the interstate and may be connected to the shooting.
A Border Patrol Agent in uniform was standing in front of his law enforcement truck on I-91 talking to a man who apparently was from a bluish-gray sedan that had been stopped, according to Essex County State's Attorney Vince Illuzzi, who said he happened to be driving by the scene. Illuzzi said nothing was happening as he drove past that area.
The U.S. Border Patrol use unmarked vehicles in addition to the standard green and white marked cruisers with emergency blue and red lights.
The interstate between exit 27 for Newport and exit 26 for Orleans was closed down both ways shortly before 3:30 p.m., state police said. The northbound lane had reopened shortly after 5 p.m.
It was unclear how long the highway would be shut down and motorists are urged to seek other routes.
Congressional Delegation Response
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), and Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont) today released the following statement Monday following a reported incident resulting in the death of a Border Patrol Agent in Coventry, Vermont — near the northern border:
"Today, Vermont and the U.S. Border Patrol experienced a tragic loss when a Border Patrol agent assigned to the Swanton Sector was shot and killed near Coventry, Vermont. Our deepest condolences go out to the agent’s family, and to the Border Patrol. We will continue to monitor this situation with federal and state authorities and are appreciative of the first responders and emergency medical service providers who responded to the scene.
"Border Patrol agents do important work protecting our borders. They deserve our full support in terms of staffing, pay and working conditions. We look forward to working with the agency to make sure that they have all the resources they need to do the enormously important work that is their responsibility. Together, we must do everything possible to prevent future tragedies like what happened today."
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