|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
by VDC staff
Vermont State Police have identified the individuals involved in a police shooting Thursday morning at the Fox Run Inn in Ludlow.
The man who was shot is Jaime Gomez, 18, who was living in a room at the inn. Gomez remained hospitalized Friday, Jan. 2, 2025, at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, where he continues to receive treatment for his injuries.
The officer who fired the shot has been identified as Ludlow Police Chief Jeffrey Warfle. According to social media, a teen named Jaime Gomez attended Bellows Falls Union High School, but it is not known if he is the same person who was shot Thursday morning.
According to state police, local officers received a report of a disturbance at the Fox Run Inn at about 6 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 1. Chief Warfle responded and encountered Gomez, who police say was agitated and damaging property. Investigators say video of the encounter shows the chief speaking with Gomez and attempting to de-escalate the situation. While Chief Warfle was speaking with a witness, Gomez approached them, refused to follow commands, pulled an item from his pocket and lunged at the chief. Chief Warfle then fired his service weapon, striking Gomez. Police say Gomez dropped a knife after being shot.
State police said Chief Warfle immediately called for medical assistance and additional first responders.
Investigators have obtained an arrest warrant for Gomez, charging him with one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of attempted aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Chief Warfle is cooperating with the investigation but has not yet been interviewed. Questions regarding his employment status have been referred to the town of Ludlow. The investigation remains active and ongoing. Upon its completion, the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the appropriate county state’s attorney’s office will conduct independent reviews of the use of force.
Discover more from Vermont Daily Chronicle
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Categories: Police Reports
“Jaime Gomez, 18, who was living in a room at the inn.” The question is: how long had been “living in a room at the inn”? In Vermont, where motels are no longer short-term accommodations for tourists paying their own way, the likelihood of someone engaging in violent crime would be roughly proportional to the length of time spent in the same motel. Please someone, prove me wrong.
One item worth noting in this report is that LE officers get 48 hours before they have to give a statement after a shooting. They won’t give you the same benefit.
This is not accurate. Nobody’s required to give a statement regarding anything. The issue law enforcement officers face is that they are not allowed to review their video before making any statements. Just like any citizen, officers are allowed to consult with legal counsel in a case like this which they’d be foolish if they didn’t.
Maybe because they put their life on the line every day, and get assaulted by criminals trying to kill them, while they are trying to protect you and the lives of your loved ones and your neighbors from said criminals.
Just my opinion, but I think that ought to afford them different benefits than the rest of us civilians.
An LE has a right to consult with an attorney before making any statements, just as you do.
FAFO
“ According to social media, a teen named Jaime Gomez attended Bellows Falls Union High School, but it is not known if he is the same person who was shot Thursday morning.”
How is this journalism? You’re taking a pot shot at some unknown person. You even admit in the same sentence you don’t know who this person is. And yet you still put it in the article. Stick to the facts that are known. There is enough opinion news out there. Be better.
IMHO, the quoted statement in the article is investigative, responsibility so. There are no false allegations or insinuations. Just the facts.
Whether Jaime Gomez was an 18 year old, who attended Bellows Falls Union High School, or not, it is alleged that he pulled a knife on a law enforcement officer. When someone does this, they have opened the door for anybody, including a law enforcement officer, to exercise their right to defend their life. I get it, he’s 18 years old, but he chose a lifestyle which put him in contradiction to the rules of civilized society. When people choose to live a lifestyle contrary to these conventions, there must be consequences. Sometimes people will get hurt while bringing people like this into compliance. That is the choice they make. It’s sad, but that is the way it is !
The fact of the matter is that LEOS are allowed to view body cams before statements are made. The ACLU was badgering the legislators to ban LEOs from reviewing their today cams. It was a defense lawyers ploy to find discrepencie with what a LEO remembers during a crisis and what the body cam recorded. And LEO’s are protected by law not to make a statement before 48 hours. There are a number of evidenced based physiological studies that show the mind has to recover from the trauma and stress of the incident. The same holds true of interviewing a victim of a violent crime. A quick preliminary interview is held to gather information to start an investigation.