A U.S. Border Patrol agent was killed in a shooting on Interstate 91 in Coventry, Vermont, just south of the Canadian border, according to the FBI.
A suspect in the shooting was also dead. A second suspect was injured and taken into custody, the FBI’s Albany office confirmed.
Benjamine Huffman, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, said the agent was killed in the line of duty. Their name was not immediately disclosed by authorities.
A portion of the highway was closed in both directions for about two hours after the shooting.
The FBI said there was no threat to the public.
Huffman said the death would be “swiftly investigated.”
“Every single day, our Border Patrol agents put themselves in harm’s way so that Americans and our homeland are safe and secure,” Huffman said in a statement.
Coventry is close to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Newport Station, part of the Swanton Sector. The area includes 295 miles (475 kilometers) of international boundary with Canada.
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.”
