David Maland identified as US border patrol agent killed near Canada

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New details on a deadly gunfight between a U.S. Border Patrol agent and the occupants of a car stopped on a highway just south of the Canadian border names the agent killed as David “Chris” Maland and the civilian who died as a German national legally in the U.S. on a valid visa.

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The FBI officially confirmed the details of Monday’s shooting late on Tuesday, more than 24 hours after the fatal confrontation on Interstate 91 in Vermont, about 20 kilometres south of the Quebec border, while social media roiled about the agent being killed by an illegal immigrant.

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The FBI did not provide any identifying information on a third person involved, and who was injured and is being treated in hospital. The injured civilian is a U.S. citizen, according to the Washington Post, attributing the information to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. National Post could not independently verify that information.

Maland, 44, was killed “in the line of duty” Monday afternoon near Coventry, Vermont, officials said.

“At approximately 3:15 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 20, U.S. Border Patrol Agent David ‘Chris’ Maland was involved in a traffic stop on Interstate 91 southbound near mile marker 168,” says the statement from the FBI Albany Field Office.

“During the course of the traffic stop, an exchange of gunfire occurred, and Agent Maland was struck. Additionally, one subject was killed, and one subject was injured and is currently being treated at an area hospital.”

Maland was rushed to hospital, reportedly by responding police officers, but died from his injuries.

“We are heartbroken for our partners and share in their grief as they mourn the loss of their colleague, who also served his country as a veteran of the U.S. Air Force,” the FBI said.

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The location of the shooting — so close to the border crossing at Stanstead, Que. — and the involvement of a border agent made a connection to Canada’s border seem a likely scenario, but there has been no official confirmation.

It remains possible the German crossed from Canada, or might have arrived by plane at the Northeast Kingdom International Airport, which is near where the shooting took place, but the new information seems to remove illegal immigrants from the equation.

Earlier Tuesday, Tom Homan, U.S. President Donald Trump’s border czar, said the fatal shooting was another sign more focus on the U.S.-Canada border was needed.

Appearing on Fox News, Homan said that region of the United States’ northern border is a particular problem, with a steep rise in crossings.

Homan said illegal border crossers from countries such as India, Pakistan and Turkey are attracted to Canada as a staging ground for “people that can afford … to sneak across the northern border, which is much easier.”

“The Northern border is not going to be underlooked by the Trump administration,” he said.

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The U.S. Customs and Border Protection released few details, saying only that “a Border Patrol agent assigned to the US Border Patrol’s Swanton Sector was fatally shot in the line of duty. The incident is currently being investigated.”

“U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s thoughts and prayers are with Agent Maland’s family during this difficult time,” said a statement from CBP public affairs issued late Tuesday afternoon.

The FBI is leading the investigation.

The Canada Border Services Agency declined to say whether the shooting had any impact on Canada’s borders or whether CBSA had been contacted by the FBI or CBP officers for information regarding southbound travellers.

“The Canada Border Services Agency stands with its United States law enforcement counterparts and we are ready to assist as needed,” a CBSA statement said.

“We are very saddened by the passing today of a U.S Border Patrol officer while on duty in Vermont. Our deepest thoughts and sympathies are with the family, friends, and colleagues of a respected member of the border security community.”

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The RCMP declined to answer questions about its involvement, if any.

Vermont State Police initially closed Interstate 91 in both directions between exits 27 (to Newport) and 26 (to Orleans) “due to an evolving police incident” shortly before 3:30 p.m., Monday. The northbound lane was reopened a few hours later but the southbound lane remained closed overnight.

The highway was fully reopened Tuesday.

The northern border has seen escalating border interactions by U.S. authorities in recent years, with numbers increasing each year in the last three, reaching 198,929 in fiscal year 2024.

That trend might not be holding. U.S. northern border encounters were lower in the last three months of 2024 from the same months in both of the previous two years.

“Every single day, our Border Patrol agents put themselves in harm’s way so that Americans and our homeland are safe and secure,” Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamin Huffman said. “My prayers and deepest condolences are with our Department, the agent’s family, loved ones, and colleagues.”

The Swanton Sector of U.S. CBP covers 62,000 square kilometres of Vermont, five counties in New York, and three counties in New Hampshire, including includes 475 kilometres of the Canada-U.S. border, adjacent to Quebec and Ontario.

Swanton Sector Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia said in October that his agents apprehended 19,385 subjects from 97 countries during fiscal year 2024, a record high.

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