STATE OF VERMONT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

VERMONT STATE POLICE

 

Second autopsy complete in Woodstock shooting investigation

 

WOODSTOCK, Vermont (Thursday, June 16, 2022) — On Thursday, June 16, 2022, the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington completed the autopsy on Jay Wilson, 45, of Woodstock.

 

The cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the head, and the manner of death is a suicide.

 

The investigation into this incident is continuing, and no further details are currently available.

 

Police encourage anyone with information that may assist investigators to call the Royalton Barracks at 802-234-9933, or leave an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.

 

 

***Update No. 4, 5:50 p.m. Wednesday, June 15, 2022***

The Vermont State Police investigation into Tuesday’s fatal shooting in Woodstock continued throughout the day Wednesday and involved detectives from the Major Crime Unit, Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Crime Scene Search Team.

 

VSP is identifying the Woodstock police officer who fired his duty weapon as Sgt. Joseph Swanson, a 15-year veteran of the department. Swanson and fellow Woodstock Police Department officer Cpl. Mark Donka responded at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to a report of shots fired and a person lying in the driveway at 13 Slayton Terrace.

 

Sgt. Swanson was first to arrive on scene. Shortly after arriving he was fired upon by a man later identified as Jay Wilson of Woodstock. Sgt. Swanson returned fire. Per standard protocol, Sgt. Swanson subsequently was transported to a hospital for evaluation, where it was determined he had a graze wound on one of his arms. He was treated and released. Additional details about the officer-involved shooting will be made public following Sgt. Swanson’s formal interview with the Vermont State Police, which is expected to occur early next week. Questions about his employment status should be directed to the Woodstock Police Department.

 

The victim who was found deceased outside the home is identified as Dieter Seier, 67, of Cornish, New Hampshire. An autopsy performed Wednesday at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington determined the cause of death was gunshot wounds to the torso, and the manner of death is a homicide.

 

Preliminary investigation indicates Jay Wilson fatally shot Seier during a family dispute involving Wilson and his mother that related to property and money. Seier, a friend of Wilson’s mother, had accompanied her to the home she owned at 13 Slayton Terrace, where they planned to meet with Jay Wilson, who lived there, and transfer ownership of a vehicle to him. Wilson’s mother was able to reach a safe location following the shooting and was not physically injured.

 

An autopsy is expected to occur Thursday on the body of Jay Wilson. The Vermont State Police will release additional information when it becomes available.

 

 

***Update No. 3, 12:15 a.m. Wednesday, June 15, 2022***

Jay Wilson, the suspect in a fatal shooting Tuesday afternoon at 13 Slayton Terrace in the town of Woodstock, was located late Tuesday night deceased inside the house.

 

Precautionary measures that had been in place for residents of the area have been lifted.

 

Members of the Vermont State Police Tactical Services Unit discovered Wilson’s body with a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound after 11 p.m. while searching the house room by room following a multiple-hour effort to persuade Wilson to leave the residence. TSU members reported hearing a gunshot after they made entry into the home. Police believed Wilson had been in the house since early afternoon, but his whereabouts were unconfirmed until the search of the home was completed. No one else was located inside.

 

Throughout Tuesday afternoon and evening, police attempted to communicate with anyone who might have been in the house, including by loudspeaker and by calling Wilson’s cellphone. After those efforts were unsuccessful, the Vermont State Police deployed a number of alternative tactics, such as devices that emit a percussive noise and a bright light, and then irritant gas, designed to encourage an occupant of a residence to come out or make contact with the police. Those approaches also produced no response from Wilson.

 

The police investigation into this incident remains in its early stages. Now that the area has been cleared and deemed safe, members of VSP’s Crime Scene Search Team will begin processing the scene. This work will continue Tuesday night and Wednesday. The bodies of Wilson and the victim he is believed to have shot — an adult man who is friends with his mother — will be transported to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for autopsies to determine the cause and manner of their deaths.

 

Police will release the identity of the shooting victim following notification and next of kin. On Wednesday, VSP will release the name of the Woodstock police officer involved in an exchange of gunfire with Wilson at the outset of this incident. Per standard protocol, when the Vermont State Police investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the State’s Attorney’s Office for independent reviews of the police officer’s use of force.

 

The Vermont State Police worked closely with members of the Woodstock and Hartford police departments and the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department during the response to this incident, along with the Windsor County State’s Attorney’s Office. Fire department and rescue crews from the area also provided critical assistance.

 

VSP thanks members of the public for their cooperation as the situation developed throughout Tuesday afternoon and night.

 

The state police will continue providing updates as the case proceeds.

 

 

***Update No. 2, 5:55 p.m. Tuesday, June 14, 2022***

As the investigation continues into this afternoon’s shooting incident in Woodstock, police are releasing additional information about the case.

 

The situation began at about 1:20 p.m. when Woodstock police responded to a report of a shooting outside 13 Slayton Terrace. The first officer on scene was fired upon from the vicinity of the house, and returned fire. The officer was uninjured. It is unknown whether the individual who fired suffered any injuries in the exchange of gunfire. Police then established a perimeter and called additional resources to respond.

 

The Vermont State Police is able to confirm that one person is deceased as a result of this incident. No one is currently in custody.

 

Police have identified a suspect in this incident as Jay Wilson, 45, of Woodstock. Anyone with information about Wilson’s whereabouts is asked to call the Vermont State Police in Royalton at 802-234-9933, or leave an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit. A photograph of Wilson is included with this release.

 

As of 5:30 p.m., members of the Vermont State Police Tactical Services Unit and Crisis Negotiation Unit are operating in the vicinity of 13 Slayton Terrace. Members of the public should continue to expect a large and active police presence in the area. Those who live near the incident location should continue to shelter in place.

 

The names of those involved and the circumstances surrounding this incident will be released following additional investigation and the notification of relatives.

 

Maj. Dan Trudeau, commander of the Vermont State Police Criminal Division, will be available to speak to the media at 6:15 p.m. at the Woodstock Police Department.

 

Additional information will be released throughout the investigation.

 

 

***Update No. 1, 4:10 p.m. Tuesday, June 14, 2022***

Law-enforcement agencies including the Vermont State Police, Woodstock Police Department and Hartford Police Department are continuing to respond to an emergency in the town of Woodstock.

 

The incident was reported as a shooting that occurred in the vicinity of 13 Slayton Terrace. People in the area of that location should lock their doors and shelter in place. Other members of the public are asked to avoid the area.

 

Members of the media are asked to respond to the Woodstock Police Department, located at 454 Woodstock Rd.

 

No further details are currently available. The state police will continue providing updates as the situation unfolds.

 

 

***Initial news release, 2:35 p.m. Tuesday, June 14, 2022***

The Vermont State Police and other law-enforcement agencies are responding to an emergency situation centered on 13 Slayton Terrace in the town of Woodstock. This is a developing incident, and the extent and precise nature of the incident are currently unknown. Members of the public should avoid the area and expect to see a significant police presence.

 

The state police PIO is en route to the location. Media members are asked to avoid calling state police barracks or dispatch centers, as call-takers are receiving emergency calls and deploying resources to the situation.

 

No additional details are available at the moment, but the state police will provide regular updates as this incident unfolds.

 

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