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Border Patrol agent from Minnesota fatally shot in Vermont traffic stop, family says

Border Patrol agent killed in Vermont is Minnesota lawmaker’s cousin
Border Patrol agent killed in Vermont is Minnesota lawmaker’s cousin 01:00

David C. Maland, the 44-year-old U.S. Border Patrol agent killed in Vermont during a traffic stop near the Canadian border, was a Minnesota native who worked security duty at the Pentagon during the time of the Sept. 11 attacks, according to his cousin, State Rep. Krista Knudsen.

Maland, who was born in Blue Earth, was killed Monday afternoon following a traffic stop, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said in a statement. A German national in the country on what the FBI called a current visa was killed and an injured suspect was taken into custody and is being treated at a local hospital.

The violence temporarily closed part of 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 straddles the international border.

Maland, whom the FBI confirmed was a U.S. Air Force veteran, 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 sector encompasses Vermont, parts of New York and New Hampshire, and includes 295 miles of international boundary with Canada.

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David C. Maland Associated Press

The Derby Line-Rock Island Border Crossing is located about 12 miles by highway north of Coventry. It's a major link to the Canadian province of Quebec, giving northern Vermont more French speakers than most of New England.

"U.S. Customs and Border Protection's thoughts and prayers are with Agent Maland's family during this difficult time," the agency said in a statement. The death is a tragedy, said Gov. Phil Scott and state Sen. Russ Ingalls, a Republican who represents the area.

Rep. Knudsen, R-Lake Shore, announced her cousin's death during Wednesday's House session, culminating in a moment of silence in his honor. She said Maland — who family members called Chris, which was his middle name — grew up in Fairmont, where he graduated from high school in 1999. 

She said his career spanned nearly a decade in the military and 15 in the federal government.

"Chris was a man of service. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran who worked security at the Pentagon during the 9/11 terrorist attacks," Knudsen said. "He also served as a U.S. marshal and an independent contractor for federal security. He worked special security detail at both the White House and the Pentagon."

She said Maland will be remembered as a courageous man and "faithful servant" who put his service for the American people above himself.

"Chris was an incredible man and would be missed dearly. I am grateful for his service and I know he was very proud of it. Our family is heartbroken," she said. "He died in the line of duty, serving to protect our country. We will cherish his memories and mourn his sacrifice."

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State Rep. Krista Knudsen announces the death of her cousin, Agent David Maland. WCCO

Other family members who spoke to the Associate Press on Wednesday said Maland's duty station was the Pentagon and that when news of the 9/11 attacks broke, he was sent to guard an undersecretary to one of the branches of the military for several days at a bunker at the Joint Base-Anacostia Bolling, in southeast Washington.

Maland also was a K-9 handler. Before heading to the northern border, he served in Texas, near the border with Mexico.

His aunt, Joan Maland, says he was about to propose marriage to his partner.

"We are all devastated," she told AP in a text. She called him an "exceptional person. Incredible man."

David Maland was the first Border Patrol agent to be killed in the line of duty since Javier Vega Jr. was shot and killed near Santa Monica, Texas, in 2014, according to records provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Vega was initially considered to be off duty at the time of his death, but in 2016 it was re-determined to have been in the line of duty, the agency said.

In 2010, Brian Terry's killing exposed the botched federal gun operation known as "Fast and Furious."

Border Patrol Agent Nicholas J. Ivie, of the Brian A. Terry Border Patrol Station, was mortally wounded in the line of duty in a remote area near Bisbee, Arizona, in 2012.

Border Patrol Agent Isaac Morales was fatally stabbed while off duty in 2017 in Texas.

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