German illegal immigrant and agent both died in shootout as investigators work to understand baffling case.
Teresa Youngblut and Felix Bauckholt.
German illegal immigrant and agent both died in shootout as investigators work to understand baffling case.
Donald Trump’s detractors often claimed that his anti-immigration zeal would be turned primarily on those of non-European heritage. After all, several of his wives have been immigrants – of the White eastern European (and legal) variety.
However, a young German found out last week the hard way that The Donald’s new deportation push is certainly not going to spare those of a lighter hued skin tone.
Felix Bauckholt, a 23-year-old hailing from Germany, the land of Trump’s father Fred’s birth, was shot dead during a fiery immigration stop in Vermont.
On the face of it, the problem was Bauckholt traveling on an expired visa and attracting the attention of Trump’s newly energized and empowered US Customs and Border Protection Force (CBP).
Bauckholt was traveling with an American companion, Teresa Youngblut, 21, when the pair got into a gun battle with CBP agents. Besides Bauckholt, CBP Agent David “Chris” Maland, 44, was also killed in the fracas.
Now, however, investigators are scratching their heads as they work to understand the true motivations of Bauckholt and Youngblut, as there appears to be much more to the story than just routine immigration enforcement.
Youngblut now faces charges of assaulting a federal law enforcement officer after the January 20 shootout near Coventry, Vermont—a picturesque border town turned crime scene.
Authorities say the shootout erupted during a traffic stop on I-91, where CBP Agent Maland, a former U.S. Air Force member, stopped a silver Prius with North Carolina plates. Youngblut was behind the wheel, with Bauckholt riding shotgun. The car was registered to Bauckholt.
According to investigators, what started as a routine stop quickly spiraled into chaos. Court documents allege Youngblut fired her handgun “without warning,” setting off a hail of bullets. Maland and Bauckholt were both struck and fatally wounded. Maland, a beloved CBP agent, was rushed to a hospital but died an hour later. Bauckholt was pronounced dead at the scene.
Youngblut, who was injured in the shootout, was taken into custody after receiving medical treatment. But the arrest only deepens the mystery surrounding her and Bauckholt’s bizarre behavior leading up to the incident.
The FBI says the pair had been under surveillance for days, after a hotel employee in Lyndonville, Vermont, tipped off law enforcement about seeing the two in “tactical-style gear,” including bulletproof vests. The employee said Youngblut openly carried a handgun in a holster.
On the day before the shootout, investigators spotted Youngblut and Bauckholt shopping at a Walmart in Newport, Vermont. Surveillance footage reportedly showed them buying aluminum foil—an odd purchase later explained when cops found several objects wrapped in foil inside their Prius after the shooting.
The post-shootout haul didn’t stop there. A search of the car uncovered a trove of military-grade equipment, including a ballistic helmet, night vision goggles, respirators, radios, and nearly 50 rounds of ammo. Police also found packets of foil-wrapped cell phones, adding another layer of intrigue to the pair’s motives.
Maland, remembered by colleagues as a “shining example of service,” leaves behind a grieving Border Patrol force and community. FBI Special Agent Craig Tremaroli vowed to bring justice for Maland’s death, calling it “an assault on all public servants.”
As for Youngblut, she’s now facing federal charges, and authorities are working to piece together her puzzling journey from Washington state to Vermont—and what led her to a deadly showdown on the border.
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