A quiet night near the Canadian border in Stewartstown, New Hampshire, shattered late Saturday as a routine traffic stop escalated into a violent confrontation. A Border Patrol agent encountered 26-year-old Blu Zeke Daly, who was driving alone, initiating a sequence of events that would leave the agent facing a direct threat.
The initial interaction took a sudden turn when the agent simply asked Daly about other names he might use. Instead of answering, Daly abruptly fled, initiating a pursuit that stretched for nearly half an hour. The agent maintained a cautious distance as Daly drove towards the closed Pittsburg Port of Entry.
Reaching the port, Daly attempted to turn around, but the situation rapidly deteriorated. He then turned a handgun towards the agent and fired a single shot. The agent, facing immediate danger, returned fire, striking Daly before he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a snowbank.
Remarkably, the Border Patrol agent escaped unharmed, a fact described as “a miracle” by U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan. Daly, however, sustained severe injuries and remains hospitalized, preventing investigators from directly questioning him about the incident.
Investigators are meticulously piecing together the events leading up to the shooting, exploring potential motivations for Daly’s actions. They are interviewing individuals connected to him, seeking to understand what brought him to the border area and what prompted the attack on a law enforcement officer performing routine duties.
Details emerging from the investigation reveal Daly legally changed his name in 2024 and currently possesses a New Hampshire driver’s license identifying him as female, while a previous Massachusetts license listed him as male. This information is part of a broader effort to understand the individual involved.
The investigation is also considering potential connections to a group known as the Zizians, an organization linked to the murder of a Border Patrol agent in Vermont just over a year ago. The Zizians are largely comprised of transgender or nonbinary individuals and advocate for a complex ideology encompassing anarchism, veganism, and unconventional rationalist beliefs.
While authorities haven’t yet established a definitive link between Daly and the Zizians, Creegan stated that exploring such connections is a logical step given the targeting of another Border Patrol agent in the same region. The investigation remains open, with all possibilities being thoroughly examined.
Daly faces serious federal charges, including attempted murder of a federal officer and assault of a federal officer with a deadly weapon. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each charge, determined by a federal district court judge based on sentencing guidelines.
