‘He was a devoted agent who served with honor and bravery,’ his family said in a statement.
A U.S. Border Patrol agent who was shot and killed in northern Vermont near the Canadian border on Monday was a military veteran who worked security at the Pentagon during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, his family said on Tuesday.
Minnesota native David Maland was fatally shot on Monday afternoon during a traffic stop, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson confirmed.
The shooting occurred on Interstate 91 about 20 miles from Canada in Coventry, part of the small, 27,000-resident community of Orleans County in the Northeast Kingdom section of Vermont that spans the international border.
The incident also resulted in the death of a German national who was in the country on what the FBI called a current visa. Another individual—a suspect in the shooting—was also injured and was taken into custody. The suspect is currently being treated at a local hospital.
It is not clear what prompted the shootout and authorities have not yet released the identity of the German national or the injured person.
“He was a devoted agent who served with honor and bravery,” his family said in a statement. “He had a tremendous respect and pride for the work he did; he truly embodied service over self.”
Separately, the FBI confirmed Maland was a U.S. Air Force veteran. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Maland was killed close to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Newport Station, part of the Swanton Sector that he was assigned to. The Swanton Sector is responsible for patrolling Vermont and portions of New York and New Hampshire. It includes 295 miles of international boundary with Canada.
In a Jan. 22 statement on social media platform X, CBP said the agency mourns the loss of Maland and asked people to keep his family, friends, and colleagues in their thoughts
The agency said Maland began his career with CBP in 2015 as part of the 1065th Session of the U.S. Border Patrol Academy.
Maland’s family said that his career spanned nine years in the military and 15 years in the federal government.
