BURLINGTON, Vt. — Law enforcement officials from various parts of Vermont gathered to escort a fallen U.S. Border Patrol agent to a funeral home on Thursday. This somber event came just three days after the agent lost his life during a traffic incident near the Canadian border.

The hearse, carrying 44-year-old David Maland, was accompanied by a convoy of hundreds of vehicles with flashing lights. The procession traveled from the University of Vermont morgue to a funeral home located in Burlington, as reported by WCAX-TV.

Maland tragically passed away on Monday afternoon during a traffic stop on Interstate 91 in Coventry, situated roughly 20 miles (32 km) from the Canadian border. The FBI has not disclosed specific details about the shooting incident. They did confirm that a German national who was in the U.S. on a valid visa was fatally shot, while a suspect who sustained injuries has been taken into custody and is currently hospitalized.

A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Maland had devoted over nine years to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as stated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. His family shared that his career included nine years in the military and 15 years within federal service, during which he provided security at the Pentagon following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Moreover, Maland served as a K-9 handler in Texas along the Mexican border before transferring to his role at the northern border. His aunt, Joan Maland, revealed that he was planning to propose to his girlfriend, marking a hopeful moment in his life that was cut tragically short.