STATE OF VERMONT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

VERMONT STATE POLICE

VSP releases preliminary information on fatal police shooting in Rutland

RUTLAND, Vt. (Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021) — Following initial investigation, the Vermont State Police is releasing preliminary information regarding this afternoon’s fatal officer-involved shooting in Rutland.

The deceased is a 33-year-old man. More information about his identity will be released following additional investigation and notification of next of kin. The man was fatally shot by a Rutland City Police Department officer inside the McDonald’s restaurant on U.S. Route 7 just south of the intersection with Allen Street shortly before 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Shortly before the shooting, there was a motor vehicle crash on Allen Street, immediately to the north of McDonald’s, involving a passenger car and a UPS delivery truck. The circumstances of that crash and what led up to it also are under active investigation by the Vermont State Police, along with the shooting that followed.

No other injuries were reported in connection with this incident.

The body of the deceased man will be transported to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.

The investigation remains in initial stages. Troopers are interviewing witnesses, reviewing any available video and audio, and processing the crime scene. The state police asks that anyone who might have information relevant to the investigation contact the VSP barracks in Rutland at 802-773-9101 or leave an anonymous tip online at http://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.

When the investigation is complete, the Vermont State Police will turn over the case to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the State’s Attorney’s Office for independent reviews of the police officer’s use of deadly force.

The Vermont State Police will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available. 

***Initial news release, 3:55 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021***

The Vermont State Police is investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting in Rutland, Vermont, by a member of the Rutland City Police Department that occurred Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 25, 2021.

The incident took place in the vicinity of the McDonald’s restaurant on U.S. Route 7.

The Vermont State Police is leading the investigation into the police shooting, as is standard practice in Vermont.

The investigation is in its earliest stages. Detectives with the Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit and Bureau of Criminal Investigations, joined by members of the Crime Scene Search Team and Field Force Division, along with the victim services director, are responding to the scene and working on the case. The Rutland City Police Department is assisting.

No additional information is available. State police will provide updates as the investigation continues.

- 30 -