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By Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First
A version of this story was published earlier today by the Caledonian-Record
BURLINGTON – A South Burlington woman pleaded not guilty in Vermont Superior Court on Monday to a charge of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a Stowe man outside a Church Street Marketplace bar early Saturday.
An altercation between the woman and man inside the Red Square bar along with the subsequent shooting outside by the front door were all captured on the nightclub’s security video.
Aaliyah D. Johnson, 22, of Farrell Street will remain lodged at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington until at least a hearing is conducted on a motion to hold without bail.
Police said Teville G. Williams, 30, of Stowe was shot several times reportedly by Johnson after both had been ordered to leave Red Square restaurant, which is diagonally across from Burlington City Hall.
It appears Johnson spilled or threw a drink at Williams and that he struck her and pulled her hair, police said.
After the shooting, Johnson fled down Church Street but then walked up to a police officer to surrender and also turned over her white purse where she had her loaded Glock .45 caliber handgun, Detective Cpl. Krystal A. Wrinn said in court papers.
“He hit me in my face, pulled my hair,” police quote Johnson as saying. When asked if the man was the shooter, Johnson responded:
“No, It was me, it was me” and then added “you can take it” in reference to surrendering to police her unzipped purse with part of the handgun showing, court records show.
Johnson presented her hands to be cuffed, Officer Brady McGee said. She was dressed in a black letterman jacket, a black crop top and a denim skirt, Wrinn said.
Community Service Officer Thomas Young said he was in City Hall Park on patrol when he heard seven gunshots in the area of the Church Street Marketplace about 12:28 a.m. Saturday.
Johnson told police at the scene she wanted a lawyer and officers stopped talking to her. She was taken to the police station and while waiting for officers to seize her clothes, the defendant volunteered she was a good person and that she knew what she did was wrong, McGee reported.
Johnson said multiple times that she needed Williams to be okay and she hoped he would be fine, McGee said. Johnson also said the shooting could ruin future job opportunities, he reported.
“Johnson stated that her gun was legal, and that she carries a firearm downtown because she is scared of men downtown. She also stated that she is just tired of men putting their hands on her,” McGee wrote in his report.
Little is known about Johnson. South Burlington Police did report they arrested her for driving under the influence two years ago when she was 20 years-old, but court records do not indicate a conviction was obtained by the State’s Attorney’s Office.
Williams was found face down on the pavement outside the nightclub, according to multiple pictures included by police in the court affidavit.
Stowe Police said they knew nothing about Williams. The Mountain Road address reportedly listed for him is a rental unit that caters to workers at the ski resort, police said.
Williams was dead on arrival at the UVM Medical Center despite the life-saving efforts at the scene by first responders, police said.
Murad said in a news release there was an initial altercation inside the bar in which Williams assaulted Johnson.
Police said the Red Square staff directed both patrons to leave through separate doors – but apparently did not stagger their ejections by a few minutes. Williams exited the front door, while Johnson went out a side door and walked toward Church Street, Wrinn wrote in court papers.
Johnson walked toward the front door of the bar and pulled out the handgun, police said. She fired multiple shots from less than 10 feet away from the victim who appeared in one photo to raise his arm in a defensive effort.
The Burlington city emergency dispatch center received a radio message about 12:28 a.m. from Young, the unarmed Community Service Officer (CSO), who heard multiple gunshots while on foot patrol in City Hall Park.
Police officers responded and located a man who had been struck by gunfire. They joined in on the CPR that had begun by other people at the scene.
At the same time, Officer McGee parked his police cruiser near Nectar’s restaurant on Main Street around the corner due to the street construction and approached the scene on foot, police said.
McGee reported Johnson surrendered peacefully, court records note. The .45 caliber handgun also was seized, police said.
Two poorly drafted news releases from Burlington Police on Saturday never mentioned the specific criminal charge Johnson was arrested on, that she was lodged in jail, when she would be in court and that she had been denied bail.
Burlington Police also failed to release Johnson’s mugshot and that caused a picture of a person with a similar name being posted on Social Media as the shooter.
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Categories: Burlington, Crime
With her obvious lack of “impulse control” over a dispute involving a $22 bar tab misunderstanding, it is very fortunate that on that busy street scene, some innocent bystander was not also hit as a result of her irresponsible gunplay. It wouldn’t have been the first time that a dispute between 2 people inside a bar spilled out onto the street and resulted in a serious gunshot injury to someone just minding their own business (outside of Nectars). Some people just seem to have a serious problem with impulse control and a basic concern for innocent bystanders.
I was just commenting recently that black women commit more murders per capita than the ever-vilified white man. Wish we could have rational discussions about it.
“[T]he defendant volunteered she was a good person and that she knew what she did was wrong…”
Just don’t upset this “good person” or she’ll blow you away with reckless disregard for the lives of innocent bystanders.
It’s almost as if she believes that If she says sorry and claims to be a good person, then it’s OK.
That level of cynicism/self delusion combined with extremely low levels of impulse control is a very dangerous mix.
Of course the mayor says the gun did it –
Better dig deeper BPD there’s more to the story than that I bet.
This story sounds a little fishy, it’s a story but not the story !!
Whatever happened in the bar, they were separated and sent out a different door, it sounds like Aaliyah ” Annie Oakley ” Johnson wasn’t finished ……………………………..
But she’s not the blame, it’s the gun’s fault, just ask any anti-gun liberal.
“Williams was found face down on the pavement outside the nightclub, according to multiple pictures included by police in the court affidavit.” and “the victim who appeared in one photo to raise his arm in a defensive effort.” Will be interesting to find out if he was shot in the back (e.g. found face down) or in a non-threatening stance (e.g. raised arm).
BTW- this “good person” has bigger concerns than “the shooting could ruin future job opportunities.”
Bill in the NEK
>>> “the shooting could ruin future job opportunities.””<<<
The first thing I thought after I read that was…WTF??? Lol.
One cannot plead “innocent”, because innocence is presumed. One can only plead guilty or not guilty.
OK, the information is beginning to trickle out, I still say though: murder one is going to be a tough conviction to get, murder two is more in line with what we are being told happened.
“CPR that had begun by other people at the scene.”
Multiple gunshot wounds to the torso …. I’m sorry, it’s been a long time, but wouldn’t applying pressure to the wound (or wounds) be more beneficial in [stopping] the bleeding, as opposed to chest compressions squishing the blood out of him?
Truly a terrible mess.
Correct.
https://www.stopthebleed.org/training/
SHAZZAM
Sometimes people don’t really know what they are doing and unintentionally make things worse for the injured person. The mind set uaually is do anything to help, something is better than nothing. No time to do a Google search. If no one did anything then that would be another thing to gripe about.
SHAZZAM
P.S.
The guy didn’t die cause of those trying to help, he died cause the woman decided to shoot him, not once, not twice, but numerous times. Not that my say-so matters, but I commend all those who put in the care and effort to save a guys life.
Sounds clearly like a case of he be dissing me?
Did she fear for her life? No, she murdered this man in cold blood. Lock her up and throw away the key.
In a culture that celebrates violence and sexual depravity through music, video games, movies, television, and social media for decades, people are desensitzed and programmed to view real life violence as part and parcel of today’s society. People demand the grubberment address the issue – the Truth is society must raise the standards, stop enabling the corporate goons producing such garbage, and demand the media cesspool to raise their standards or be eliminated. Our government is not going to fix it as they are as corrupt and criminal as the ones roaming the streets.
The fact a 30 year old man lay dead on a sidewalk plugged with bullets, a 22 yr old female fired the bullets without a second thought is a how decades of programming manifests. Hundreds slaughtered in Chicago for how long now? Perhaps people need to look in the mirror and consider the role we all play in this cultural rot we see every day. Vermont is no longer in a bubble – it never was – yet, the feigned shock and awe of some of our citizens is more troubling than the violence. Wake up and snap into reality!
This is a canary in the coal mine, nationally and most certainly Vermont.
We are creating narcissistic, socio and psycho-paths, and the public is programmed to think this is normal, because it is happening so regularly.
She is only concerned about herself.
She has no remorse.
She is totally driven by money and power.
She is not self-aware.
.
.
.
She is only worried about her job implications.
,
.
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This is how we are raising our children.
.
.
.
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This is what happens when society gets rid of following Jesus Christ, they follow themselves, they make themselves a God, they are the center of the universe, knowing all, being all, etc. We are filling our people with pride, which is simply, “I’m right you’re wrong”, despite and contrary to reality.
This is how we are programming our children in government schools, aka indoctrination centers, this is what they are being fed on line and on tv. This is what we are sowing, and this is what we are reaping and will continue to reap in the foreseeable future, until we change our direction.
We are asked to repent from our ways, the current path is going to bring more pain, misery, hell on earth. What direction shall we go?