A U.S. Border Patrol agent was fatally shot Monday afternoon in Vermont, state police said. Federal authorities are investigating.

Vermont officials are mourning the loss of a U.S. Border Patrol agent killed in the line of duty near the Canadian border on Monday.

"We had Border Patrol, I bet they had over 100 cars just from them," said Mike Kamerling, a Vermont State Police sergeant. "And then you had state police from both Vermont and New York and virtually every other law enforcement agency in the region.

David "Chris" Maland, 44, was fatally shot in the line of duty on Tuesday in Coventry, Vermont, according to the Vermont State Police. Maland was an agent with the U.S. Border Patrol Swanton Sector and was conducting a traffic stop at the time.

A United States Border Agent was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Vermont near the Northern border, Fox News has confirmed.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent was fatally shot on a highway in northern Vermont south of the Canadian border, authorities said.

"On Monday, January 20, Border Patrol Agent David C. Maland passed away in the line of duty. Agent Maland succumbed to injuries caused by gunfire following a traffic stop in Coventry, Vermont. U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s thoughts and prayers are with Agent Maland’s family during this difficult time."

The FBI is investigating a Border Patrol agent-involved shooting, according to a statement from the Vermont State Police.

The FBI is investigating a Border Patrol agent-involved shooting, according to a statement from the Vermont State Police.

Homicide numbers in Vermont have risen in recent years to levels not seen since the late ‘90s, and experts say much of the violence is fueled by a drugs-for-guns pipeline that leads to Massachusetts and other urban centers.

Local law enforcement, state officials and the Border Patrol itself issued statements in the wake of the tragic incident.