By Michael Bielawski
A violent criminal is getting less time behind bars than the Burlington Police Chief would like to see, and the chief is letting folks know in a press release concerning the arrest of a man involved in a gunfire incident from back in May 2023.
Chief Jon Murad also thanked all those from state and local entities who have collaborated to curb what was an alarming rise in gun incidents that peaked at 26 incidents in 2022. There used to be just a few gun incidents per year, according to previous statements by the chief.
“The success the Burlington Police Department has had with diminishing gunfire since the 2022 spike stems from great investigations, good arrests, and strong prosecutions,” the chief wrote. “But we would be better off with longer terms of incarceration, and in this case, a person involved in multiple gunfire incidents is getting a suspended sentence.”
The gunfire incident involving this recent person arrested, Jwan Austin, 27, of Detroit, Michigan, occurred on May 23, 2023. At about 1 AM police were called to Riverside Ave. following calls about multiple gunshots fired. Officers showed up but the shooters had gotten away. There were bullet holes in buildings including a gas line was hit, but no apparent signs of serious injuries and no immediate suspects.
Nearly a year later on April 26, 2024, investigators were able to arrest Austin. He was already in custody, on March 19 he was arrested on unrelated warrants in Massachusetts.
One of the updates says that Austin “was resolved of several cases he was involved in” on July 11. It turns out he was involved in two gunfire incidents in 2023, the one in May and another on July 29 of that year. It’s described in the presser as “a discharge at College and South Winooski.”
At this point free again, he had to be tracked down and arrested again. The most recent update which came out on Monday states, “On July 25, 2024, officers with the South Burlington Police Department recognized a male they knew to be John Austin who was wanted for Aggravated Assault with a Weapon stemming from a Burlington Police incident on May 23, 2023.”
Initially, he had fled by foot into a swampy wooded area near I-89. The BPD assisted in the search and he was eventually located and arrested.
As is increasingly the case, this criminal has an extensive crime record and nonetheless was released to commit new crimes. This comes as Chittenden County State Attorney Sarah George is under scrutiny for allowing 93% of those who violated conditions of release back onto the streets according to the latest BPD monthly chief’s report.
The chief has said over recent years that the city usually would get about two gun incidents per year over the previous decade (the 2010s), yet after the department’s defunding via attrition by about 30 percent back in June of 2020, trends turned for the worst.
Murad’s comments in the press release concluded that gunfire incidents should have more serious consequences. “Our police department continues to support the creation of a felony Reckless Endangerment charge, when a firearm is discharged in a reckless manner.”
Author’s note: The police presser once referred to Jwan Austin as John Austin. There may be a further update to clarify which (or both) names are correct.
The author is a writer for the Vermont Daily Chronicle