Suspect in killing of US Border Patrol agent had an arsenal of weapons

The two suspects involved in a shootout that killed a U.S. Border Patrol agent in northern Vermont had an arsenal of weapons and tactical gear, including 48 rounds of .380 caliber jacketed hollowpoint ammunition, a ballistic helmet and night vision equipment, according to court records. documents released Friday.

The suspects were identified as Teresa Youngblut of Washington state, who was wounded in the shootout, and Felix Bauckholt, a German national who was killed. Border Patrol Agent David “Chris” Maland, 44, also died in the shootout on a highway just 20 miles south of the Canadian border.

It is not clear from the court documents whether Maland was struck by one of Youngblut’s bullets or a shot fired by a fellow agent.

The incident unfolded after 3pm on Monday after a Border Patrol agent pulled over a blue 2015 Toyota Prius to conduct an immigration inspection. More agents in three vehicles then arrived at the scene, court documents say.

Bauckholt, the registered owner of the vehicle, appeared to have an expired visa in a Department of Homeland Security database, according to court documents. The FBI had previously said the German national involved in the incident was on a current visa.

At some point during the traffic stop, Youngblut opened fire on at least one of the agents while standing outside the driver’s side door of the Prius. Bauckholt then tried to draw his firearm, according to court documents, prompting at least one border agent to open fire on Bauckholt and Youngblut.

Bauckholt was pronounced dead at the scene. Maland was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead around

Investigators recovered at the scene a .380 caliber handgun and .40 caliber handgun believed to have been used by the two suspects. Youngblut is believed to have fired at least two shots. The agents returned fire with at least seven shots, according to the court documents.

Agents from Homeland Security Investigations had been conducting “periodic surveillance” of Buckhault and Youngblut since Jan. 14, according to the documents.

An employee at a hotel in Lyndonville, Vermont, had contacted law enforcement to report concerns about a man and a woman who had checked into the hotel, the documents said. The woman, later identified as Youngblut, was seen carrying “an apparent firearm in an exposed holster.” Both Bauckholt and Youngblut were wearing “all-black tactical-style clothing with protective gear.”

After receiving the report from hotel employees, Homeland Security agents attempted to speak with the couple. They refused to have an extended conversation, claiming they were in the area looking to buy real estate, according to the court documents.

Youngblut and Bauckholt then checked out of the hotel and were seen walking in downtown Newport five days later, with Youngblut carrying a gun, court documents say.

The next day, hours before the fatal traffic stop, the couple stopped at a Walmart, where Bauckholt bought two boxes of aluminum foil. The court documents say investigators found at the scene of the shooting suspected cell phones wrapped in what appeared to be aluminum foil, an apparent attempt to prevent the phones from being tracked.

In addition to the ammunition, helmet and night vision monocular, investigators searching the suspects’ Prius found a tactical belt with a holster, a pair of hand-held two-way radios, a magazine full of cartridges and a pack of shooting range targets, some of which had been used, according to court documents.

Youngblut faces two charges in connection with the incident, including willful use of a deadly weapon while interfering with federal law enforcement. Her lawyer declined to comment.

Maland was a US Air Force veteran from Minnesota. His family described him as a devoted agent who “truly embodied service above self.” When he died, Maland was planning to propose to his girlfriend.

“The family is just devastated. That’s all I can say,” his aunt, Joan Maland, told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune earlier this week. “He loved his family and looked forward to a life with the love of his life and his daughter.”

Maland was the first Border Patrol agent killed by gunfire in the line of duty since 2014.