US Border Patrol Agent Killed in the Line of Duty

A US Border Patrol agent was fatally shot Monday on a highway in northern Vermont south of the Canadian border, authorities said. The death was confirmed by the FBI and Benjamine Huffman, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, the AP reports. In a statement, the FBI said that in addition to the agent, a suspect in the shooting was killed and a second suspect was injured and taken into custody during the encounter on Interstate 91 in Coventry, about 20 miles from the Canadian border. The FBI said there was no ongoing threat to the public.

Huffman said the death occurred "in the line of duty." The identity of the agent, who was assigned to the US Border Patrol's Swanton Sector, was not immediately released. The sector encompasses Vermont and parts of New York and New Hampshire. Federal authorities did not provide additional details but said they would be released as they became available. A portion of Interstate 91 was closed in both directions for about two hours afterward. The northbound lane reopened just after 5pm. Besides federal authorities, the Vermont State Police was also investigating. The FBI responded from the office in Albany, New York. Huffman said the death would be "swiftly investigated."

(More US-Canadian border stories.)