Coventry, VT – A U.S. Border Patrol agent was shot and killed Monday on a highway in northern Vermont, south of the Canadian border, authorities said.
The death was confirmed by the FBI and Benjamin Huffman, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in Washington.
In addition to the agent, one suspect was killed and a second suspect was wounded and taken into custody during the shootout on Interstate 91 in Coventry, about 20 miles from the Canadian border, the FBI said in a statement.
The FBI said there is no threat to the public.
Huffman said the death occurred “in the line of duty.” The identity of the agent, who was assigned to the U.S. Border Patrol's Swanton Sector, was not immediately released. The region includes Vermont and parts of New York and New Hampshire.
Federal officials did not provide additional details but said he would be released as soon as they became available.
A portion of Interstate 91 was then closed in both directions for about two hours. The northbound lanes reopened just after 5 p.m. In addition to federal authorities, Vermont State Police were also investigating. The FBI responded from its Albany, New York, office.
Huffman said the death would be “expeditiously investigated.”
“Every day, our Border Patrol agents put themselves in harm's way to keep Americans and our homeland safe,” Huffman said in a statement.
Coventry is close to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Newport Station, which is part of the Swanton Sector. This area includes a 295-mile international border with Canada.
In a joint statement, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Senator Peter Welch and Representative Becca Balint expressed condolences to the agent's family and said Border Patrol agents “deserve our full support in terms of staffing, pay and working conditions. “