Williston officer shoots man near downed wires on Route 2A, few details released
A Williston police officer shot and injured a man early Thursday on Route 2A. Authorities held a press conference but answered few questions about what led to the shooting.
Williston officer opens fire on motorist; state police withhold key details
A Williston police officer shot and wounded a man in the early hours of Thursday morning on Route 2A, vtdigger.org reports. A press conference held by authorities that afternoon left most questions about the incident unanswered.
The man, whose name has not been released, sustained a gunshot wound to the hip and was treated at the University of Vermont Medical Center. He has since been discharged. The officer who fired the weapon was also evaluated at the hospital for a minor injury and has since been released.
Vermont State Police Maj. Ashley Barnes, commander of the criminal division, told reporters that officers had responded to a report of downed wires across Route 2A between Butternut Road and Old Creamery Road at around 4:50 a.m. A man driving a car then arrived at the scene.
"A vehicle approached officers, and we're not exactly sure yet what occurred during that," Barnes said. "Something led to one of the Williston officers discharging his duty weapon, striking the male."
Barnes declined to say whether the officer had been in danger at the time. "I don't know that at this point. We're going to have to review body cam and cruiser cam footage," he said. Investigators have reviewed some of that footage, Barnes added, but it will not be made public while the investigation is ongoing.
The name of the officer who fired has not been released. State police protocol requires withholding an involved officer's identity for 24 hours following a shooting. Williston police confirmed that two officers have been placed on paid administrative leave, though the role of the second officer in the incident was not made clear.
Williston Police Chief Brian Labarge, who also spoke at the press conference, declined to say how many officers had been present at the scene. "Officers were on scene," he told reporters, refusing to give a more specific number. Labarge also declined to identify either the officers or the man who was shot, and would not confirm the nature of the injury sustained by the officer on leave.
"I'm not confirming at this time who any of the officers or individuals were," Labarge said.
State police are leading the investigation. Once it is concluded, the case will be referred to the Vermont Attorney General's Office and the State's Attorney's Office for independent reviews of the officer's use of force.
A section of Route 2A near the scene remained closed to traffic for much of Thursday while detectives worked the area. The road reopened at around 4 p.m.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)