Border Patrol Agent Shoots Armed Suspect During Encounter At Northern Border

By Damien Fisher, NH Journal

An armed man who shot at a Border Patrol agent at the Canada–New Hampshire border is hospitalized after being wounded when the agent returned fire, according to federal officials.

In a statement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said the incident occurred around 1 a.m. Sunday near the Pittsburg port of entry on the Canadian border.

“Initial reports indicate that the subject opened fire on the agent at which time the agent returned fire. The agent was uninjured. The subject was hit, received medical attention, and transported to the hospital where the subject is currently receiving treatment,” Scott said.

“The FBI Boston Field Office will be investigating the incident. CBP is cooperating fully with investigators.”

The person who was shot has not been identified.

The FBI said the New Hampshire U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan’s office is also investigating the incident.

The issue of border security and New Hampshire’s involvement in immigration enforcement along the northern border has generated political heat in the Granite State. In 2023, at the height of the surge in illegal immigration during the Biden administration, then-Gov. Chris Sununu created the Northern Border Alliance Task Force to support enforcement efforts at the northern border.

State Democrats opposed the task force, dismissing GOP concerns about border security as “thinly veiled racism.”

Gov. Kelly Ayotte continued funding the task force in her budget, calling it “a successful deterrent to illegal immigration.”

After news of Sunday’s shooting, House Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R-Auburn) issued a statement.

“The men and women of U.S. Customs and Border Protection stand on the front lines every day, confronting real danger so our communities don’t have to and so we don’t have to see the same mobs and mayhem other states and cities are experiencing,” Osborne said. “They operate in volatile, unpredictable environments with professionalism and restraint. They deserve gratitude, and the benefit of the doubt, not reflexive suspicion fueled by half-brained headlines and Democrat talking points.”

DEVELOPING…

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.