by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First
A huge procession of law enforcement vehicles provided a blue-light escort to a hearse carrying the body of the slain U.S. Border Patrol Agent to a funeral home in Burlington on Thursday.
The body of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David “Chris” Maland, 44, who was killed in a wild shootout in Orleans County on Monday, was transported at about 10 a.m. from the morgue at the UVM Medical Center in Burlington to the Ready’s Funeral Home at 261 Shelburne Road.
Up to 300 law enforcement vehicles belonging to federal, state, county and local law enforcement in Vermont and nearby states are expected in one of the largest displays of fraternal support for a fallen law enforcement officer in Vermont.
Maland is believed to be the first federal law enforcement officer to be killed in the line of duty in Vermont since a few deaths in the Prohibition era.
Maland served with the Border Patrol for about a decade. Maland, who was hit in the neck during the shootout, also was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He was assigned to the Pentagon during the 9/11 attack.
Law enforcement agencies in Vermont were asked to provide police vehicles to be part of the escort.
A second police escort is also being organized on Friday as Maland’s body leaves Vermont and heads home to Minnesota for his funeral.
Maland’s body was brought to Burlington for an autopsy by the office of the Chief Medical Examiner following the homicide.
One of two suspect shooters, who was wounded, remains at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. Her name and condition have not been released by the FBI. She is believed to have had identification showing she was from Washington State.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI are reportedly preparing a criminal complaint to file against her for the fatal shooting. She is expected to be brought from the hospital to Vermont for an initial hearing in federal court as soon as she is discharged from the hospital.
The other shooter, who was killed in the shootout, has been identified as a German National. Felix Bauckholt was shot dead at the scene, officials said.
Authorities have said Bauckholt had overstayed his temporary work Visa. It also was unclear how he would have obtained a firearm as a non-resident.
Homeland Security had been investigating the couple and a third suspect in the days leading up to the shooting. It was unknown if the Border Patrol had been briefed on the case before they were asked to pull over the vehicle.
Maland, a U.S. Air Force veteran, had worked for U.S. Customs and Border Protection for more than nine years, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. His family told The Associated Press his career spanned nine years in the military and 15 years in the federal government, including working security duty at the Pentagon during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Maland also was a K-9 handler who served in Texas, near the border with Mexico, before heading to the northern border. His aunt, Joan Maland, said he was about to propose marriage to his girlfriend.
The AP contributed to this report.