A Border Patrol agent was killed by a masked woman and an accomplice along the US-Canada border just hours after Donald Trump began his second term, according to police.
Swanton Sector Border Patrol agent David Maland, 44, was killed Monday in a mysterious shooting in Vermont while on duty, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Maland, an Air Force veteran, was fatally shot in the neck after he stopped a small car on Interstate 91, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of the U.S.-Canada border, and the two occupants began shooting at him.
A male suspect was also shot during the gunfire, and the female suspect was wounded before being arrested, officials said.
The female and male suspects were reportedly already on authorities' radar and were looking for real estate in Vermont.
They had been staying at the Newport City Inn and Suites for five days; An employee at the hotel told WCAX that the female suspect never removed her face mask and did not cooperate with their identification process.
'I asked her to turn it down so I could check her ID, but she refused. But we don't argue the issue when it comes to that kind of thing. We're just doing our best,” the employee told the local news station.
The employee says she has never seen the female suspect's male accomplice.
A female suspect is seen wearing a mask before she and a male accomplice killed a Border Patrol agent in Vermont on Monday
Swanton Sector Border Patrol agent David Maland, 44, was killed in a mysterious shootout while on duty
The alleged killers had been staying at the Newport City Inn and Suites for five days
Police did not name the suspects, but said the man is a German citizen in the U.S. and has a valid visa, and the woman is American.
It is not clear what led to the shooting, and the lack of information combined with federal involvement has led Toronto Sun columnist Brad Hunter to wonder whether the two suspects were planning a terrorist attack.
“The silence of the police seems to indicate something nefarious,” Hunter wrote.
“If more facts come to light, I'm sure this wasn't a matter of real estate hunting or smuggling economic refugees into America. No, it was something more sinister and Canada could be in line for another black eye on the immigration file.”
After the shooting, a bomb squad was called to the scene as a precaution, but no bomb or hazardous materials were found.
Remote-controlled robots were also seen examining a backpack and other items near the male suspect's body.
The couple's room at the Newport Inn was also searched by a bomb squad, but nothing was found.
“A Border Patrol agent assigned to the U.S. Border Patrol's Swanton Sector was fatally shot in the line of duty,” said Acting DHS Secretary Benjamine Huffman.
“Every day, our Border Patrol agents put themselves in harm's way so that Americans and our homeland are safe.”
Vermont Governor Phil Scott addressed the shooting during his weekly news conference and offered his condolences to Maland's family.
The Republican added: “The FBI is leading this investigation and the Vermont State Police will continue to assist in any way we can,” he said.
Maland lived in Newport and worked for Border Patrol for about a decade.
He had survived the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the Pentagon, where he worked as a security guard.
“He was a dedicated officer who served with honor and courage,” said a family statement provided to The Associated Press late Tuesday.
“He had enormous respect and pride in the work he did; he truly embodied service to self.”
Maland was also a K-9 handler who he served in Texas, near the border with Mexico, before heading to the northern border. His aunt, Joan Maland, said he was about to propose to his partner.
Maland is the first Border Patrol agent killed in the line of duty since Javier Vega Jr. was shot in 2014 near Santa Monica, Texas, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.
Donald Trump has threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods across the porous northern border starting February 1.
He says Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's lax stance on immigration has exacerbated the U.S. border crisis and endangered national security.
Trudeau, who announced plans to resign earlier this month, has finally begun to crack down on immigration after previously inviting the world to move to his country.
