STATE OF VERMONT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

VERMONT STATE POLICE

 

Vermont State Police identifies victim in fatal St. Johnsbury shooting

 

ST. JOHNSBURY, Vermont (Wednesday, March 2, 2022) — An autopsy was completed Wednesday on the victim of Tuesday’s shooting in St. Johnsbury. The victim is identified as Vincent Keithan, 44, of St. Johnsbury.

 

The autopsy at the Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington determined the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the neck, and the manner of death is homicide.

 

The Vermont State Police investigation into this incident remains active and ongoing. No one is currently in custody in connection with the fatal shooting. The Jeep that police were seeking in relation to this incident was located by law enforcement outside of Vermont. That element of the case also remains under active investigation, and as a result no further details are available at present to avoid compromising the investigation.

 

Police continue to ask that anyone with information call VSP in St. Johnsbury at 802-748-3111 or submit an anonymous tip online at http://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.

 

Updates will follow as the investigation proceeds.

 

 

***Update No. 3, 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, 2022***

Police have located the vehicle being sought as part of the investigation into this morning’s fatal shooting incident in St. Johnsbury. Members of law enforcement are speaking with the vehicle’s occupants.

 

No further details are available at this time. The Vermont State Police will continue to share updated information with the community as soon as possible throughout the ongoing investigation.

 

 

***Update No. 2, 4:50 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, 2022***

As the investigation continues into this morning’s reported shooting in St. Johnsbury, the Vermont State Police is seeking a vehicle in connection with the incident and would like to speak to the occupants.

 

The vehicle in question is a gray Jeep Wrangler with Connecticut license plate AX74330. The vehicle was seen on a surveillance camera outside Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital at 8:40 a.m. Tuesday. An image of the Jeep is included with this news release.

 

The occupants of the vehicle should be considered potentially armed and dangerous. Anyone who sees the Jeep should immediately call 911 or their nearest police department. Do not approach the vehicle or its occupants.

 

The death of the victim, an adult male, is being treated as a homicide. Preliminary investigation indicates the incident was not random, and the victim was targeted.

 

State police investigators have received no reports of any other injuries associated with this incident.

 

Maj. Dan Trudeau, commander of VSP’s Criminal Division, will be available to speak to members of the media at 5:15 p.m. today at the St. Johnsbury Barracks, 1068 U.S. Route 5.

 

Additional updates will follow as the investigation proceeds.

 

 

***Update No. 1, 11:35 a.m. Tuesday, March 1, 2022***

The Vermont State Police can confirm that one person is deceased in connection with this morning’s incident in St. Johnsbury.

 

Police were notified at about 8:50 a.m. of a reported shooting in the parking lot outside Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital. The deceased individual was located in the parking lot. The body will be brought to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death. The individual’s identity will be released following further investigation and notification of next of kin.

 

The investigation remains in its earliest stages. VSP’s Crime Scene Search Team and Victim Services Unit are responding to the scene, in addition to detectives from the Major Crime Unit and Bureau of Criminal Investigations, and uniform troopers from the Field Force Division.

 

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the Vermont State Police in St. Johnsbury at 802-748-3111. Tips also may be submitted anonymously online at http://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.

 

VSP will continue to provide updates as the investigation continues.

 

 

***Initial news release, 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 1, 2022***

The Vermont State Police is responding to a reported shooting in the parking lot outside Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital in St. Johnsbury. The exact circumstances of this incident are evolving and currently unknown. The hospital is secure.

Troopers from multiple Vermont State Police barracks, including St. Johnsbury and Derby, are responding to the scene, along with detectives from the Major Crime Unit and Bureau of Criminal Investigations. No one is currently in custody.

No further details are available at this time. The state police will provide updates as soon as possible.

 

 

- 30 -