While freshly inaugurated President Donald Trump largely focused on illegal immigration at the United States’ southern border on Monday, Jan. 20, a deadly incident near the United States northern border unfolded. A death on the same day as Trump’s inauguration caused roads to close as officials started an investigation.
What happened?
A gunman shot and killed a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Vermont, about 20 miles south of the Canadian border, during a traffic stop, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
U.S. federal officials said the suspect was also killed, and another person in the vehicle was injured.
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What’s been revealed about the suspect?
A U.S. Homeland Security official, granted anonymity by The Washington Post, said the gunman was a German national, and the passenger injured is a U.S. citizen.
So far, authorities have not released any more information, other than the fact that the FBI is heading the investigation into the deadly shooting.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency spokesperson told Newsweek that that agency will release more information “as soon as it becomes available.”
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman released a statement in response to the border patrol agent’s death.
“Every single day, our border patrol agents put themselves in harm’s way so that Americans and our homeland are safe and secure,” Huffman said. “My prayers and deepest condolences are with our department, the agent’s family, loved ones, and colleagues.”
Roads in Canada and the United States were temporarily closed as a result of the incident.
The bigger picture
The death of the border patrol agent came on the same day that Trump issued an executive order directing the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) to seek the death penalty for the killing of law enforcement officers.
