The Vermont State Police is investigating a fatal shooting by an officer with the Fair Haven Police Department that occurred Monday evening, June 19, 2023, in the town of Fair Haven.
The shooting occurred at about 7:40 p.m. Monday at a residence on Washington Street when a Fair Haven officer responded to a report of an ongoing altercation. Preliminary information indicates that when the police officer arrived, an altercation occurred between the officer and a man outside the home. The officer subsequently fired his department-issued handgun, striking the man. He was transported to Rutland Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The Vermont State Police is leading the investigation into the police shooting, as is standard practice in Vermont.
This investigation is in its earliest stages. Detectives with the Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit and Bureau of Criminal Investigations, along with troopers from the Field Force Division and members of the Victim Services Unit, are responding to the scene and working on the case. The Fair Haven Police Department is providing assistance.
The Vermont State Police Crime Scene Search Team is expected to be on site Tuesday morning to process the location where the incident occurred.
As is standard practice, the Fair Haven officer will be identified within 24 hours following the shooting.
When the Vermont State Police investigation into this incident is complete, the case will be turned over per standard protocol to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the relevant State’s Attorney’s Office for independent reviews of the use of force.
Police ask that anyone with information that might assist investigators call the VSP Rutland Barracks at 802-773-9101 or leave an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.