By Guy Page
A Castleton man shot to death by a Fair Haven police officer Monday was convicted in 2005 for murdering a man with a hammer for drug money.
Kenneth Barber, 38, was shot to death Monday by Detective Shaun Hewitt following an altercation.
State Police say the incident began shortly after 7:30 p.m. Monday when Barber left a 26 Washington St., Fair Haven home while armed with a handgun. Barber engaged in a dispute with several residents of 28 Washington St., who ultimately were able to restrain him and separate him from the gun.
Hewitt arrived on scene in response to emergency calls about the ongoing fight. Barber subsequently broke free, managed to access a vehicle and attempted to drive away, at which point he struck Hewitt with the car. Hewitt fired his service weapon one time, hitting Barber.
An autopsy was completed Tuesday, June 20, 2023, at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington. The cause of Barber’s death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the torso, and the manner of death was classified as a homicide.
Hewitt has served with the Fair Haven department since 1998 after beginning his police career with the Rutland County Sheriff’s Department in 1991 and subsequently working for the Brandon Police Department. In Fair Haven, Hewitt acts as the department’s firearms instructor.
State police continue to investigate this incident. Anyone with relevant information is asked to call the Rutland Barracks at 802-773-9101 or leave an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
Detectives have spoken with witnesses and reviewed bystander video of the incident; the Fair Haven Police Department is not equipped with body-worn cameras or cruiser cameras. The Crime Scene Search Team processed the location of the shooting, centered on a vehicle outside a residence at 26 Washington St.; completed its work Tuesday afternoon; and released the scene. The Fair Haven Police Department is cooperating with the VSP investigation.
Convicted of murder in 2005 – Barber was sentenced in 2005 to 15 years to life in the death of elderly WWII veteran Charles Schlosser, of Benson. Barber admitted to hitting Schlosser in the head during a robbery intended to get drug money.
Media reports in the Rutland Herald of the trial of the 2003 murder say a burglary accomplice told Barber “to hit Shlosser with something. He said he found a hammer nearby and struck Shlosser once in the head. Shlosser fell to the floor in the living room, the affidavit stated.” Items then stolen included model trains, miniature toy cars and military pins.
Barber reportedly was furloughed in 2018.