Milton resident still recovering from shooting

A Franklin County man has pleaded not guilty in Vermont Superior Court to multiple criminal charges, including felony attempted second degree murder following a shooting across from the Colchester Police Station over the weekend.

Dakota Ward, 20, is charged with wounding Zachariah Tourville, 25, of Milton in the head during an incident outside a duplex home on Blakely Road on Saturday night.

Colchester Detective Cpl. Michael West said the two men knew each other and were going to share a dinner with their girlfriends.

Ward, who has addresses in Enosburgh and on Diamond Street in St. Albans had been drinking before the shooting outside, West said in a court affidavit.

Ward also denied in court two misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment by putting people in fear of death or serious injury.

One count was for trying to drive at Kylie Root, Tourville’s girlfriend while fleeing the scene with his girlfriend, Alexandra Andrews, about 6:45 p.m., records show.

Two minutes after the first 911 call about the shooting Colchester Emergency Dispatcher Quentin Haskin reported a bloodied Tourville had walked across the street to the police station lobby to report the incident.

Colchester Rescue later took him to the UVM Medical Center for treatment, police said.

Tourville and Root’s 10-month old baby daughter also was at the duplex, police said.

Judge Tim Doherty ordered Ward held without bail during his virtual arraignment by computer from the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans Town on Tuesday morning.

Doherty initially agreed to set a weight of the evidence hearing for next month to consider bail.  As of Tuesday afternoon, it had been cancelled, court records show.

Root and Tourville said they had been living in the downstairs section of the duplex for about 3 weeks.

West said in a court affidavit Root reported Ward had a deadly expression with no emotion after the shooting.  She said it was the “deadest face ever, the blackest, darkest eyes I have ever seen on somebody,” West wrote.

Colchester Police later caught up to Ward on U.S. 7 in Milton near Centre Drive with help from Milton Police.  He was later lodged at the prison in St. Albans.

A 9-mm caliber Glock handgun with a red dot sight was seized, West said.  The gun could hold 15 slugs.

Colchester Police had also sought felony charges of aggravated assault and possession of a dangerous weapon during commission of a felony, but the Chittenden County State’s Attorney’s Office did not proceed with those more serious charges, records show.