According to Vermont State Police, a Rutland police officer shot a man in a Rte. 7 McDonalds restroom August 25 because he thought the cell phone in his hand was a weapon.
Officer Christopher A. Rose of the Rutland City Police Department provided a voluntary interview with Vermont State Police detectives on Wednesday, Sept. 8. Following that interview, VSP is able to provide additional information about the fatal shooting of Jonathan Mansilla that occurred on Aug. 25 in Rutland.
Following the vehicle crash on Allen Street near the McDonald’s in Rutland, Rose observed Mansilla run from the scene and into the restaurant. Rose gave chase in an attempt to apprehend the suspect and take him into custody.
According to interviews and witness statements, Mansilla fled into the men’s room inside the McDonald’s. Rose entered shortly afterward and saw Mansilla’s lower extremities under the gap at the bottom of a stall. Mansilla then exited the stall and ran toward Rose. The officer said he observed an object in Mansilla’s hand that he perceived to be an unknown weapon of some kind. Rose then fired three rounds from his department-issued handgun, striking Mansilla twice in the chest. The object Mansilla was carrying was later determined to be a cell phone.
State police detectives expect to conclude their work on the investigation in the coming weeks and turn over the matter to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the Bennington County State’s Attorney’s Office for independent reviews of Officer Rose’s use of deadly force.