Fatal crash in Harwick / Montpelier cop punched
By Guy Page
For the second time last week, a young Massachusetts man was shot dead in Vermont. Both men died of gunshots to the torso.
Following an autopsy Friday, Feb. 4, the victim found deceased Thursday morning in Danby is identified as Isaiah Rodriguez, 17, of Springfield, Massachusetts.
The Chief Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of the Rodriguez death to be gunshot wounds of the torso, and the manner of death is a homicide. State police detectives have narrowed down the time this incident is believed to have occurred to 10:30-11:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 2, and would like to speak with anyone who was traveling on Danby Mountain Road or who saw or heard anything out of the ordinary during that time.
Police say there is no known link between the Rodriquez shooting and the shooting death of a 22-year old man found shot to death in Swanton Wednesday who has been identified as Elijah Oliver of Haverhill, MA. “Investigation so far does not indicate any link between these two incidents,” Vermont State Police spokesperson Adam Silverman told Vermont Daily Chronicle this morning.
Haverhill is located in Eastern Massachusetts, about 30 miles north of Boston. He has been described in his hometown paper as a longtime gang member who by age 19 already had a lengthy criminal record.
A July 31, 2020 news story in the Eagle-Tribune describes Oliver’s sentencing for trying to smuggle a gun past police while being picked up on an “armed assault to murder” warrant.
According to the Eagle-Tribune, police say Oliver belonged to a gang called the Gangsta Disciples. While in police custody he reportedly told a female officer to “respect his rank,” a reference to his gang status.
It is not known why Oliver was in Swanton. His body was found Wednesday morning at at a home on First Street in Swanton. The Chief Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death to be gunshot wounds of the torso, and the manner of death is a homicide.
Cop punched during arrest – A Montpelier police officer was hit during an arrest yesterday February 4, the department says.
Police say they were investigating a disturbance that occurred on Barre Street when the incident happened. During the investigation, police had to physically restrain a combative individual who was causing a disturbance. During the incident, police say an officer was hit.
In a statement by police, they say the individual was not injured during the arrest. They also say the officer did not suffer any significant injury.
Fatal crash in Hardwick – A 43-year-old woman from Walden was killed during a two-vehicle crash in Hardwick Saturday afternoon.
State police responded to the fatal crash on Route 15, west of the Route 16 intersection, at around 1:00 p.m. Police say Rebecca Malgeri succumbed to the injuries she suffered during the crash.
A juvenile passenger was transported to Copley Hospital to be evaluated. The driver of the car struck by Malgeri’s vehicle, Jose Martinez, 39, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, and his passenger were uninjured in the crash.
Police say that while going around a corner heading west, Malgeri lost control of her vehicle due to snowy and slick road conditions. Her vehicle then slid into the eastbound lane of traffic where it struck Martinez’s vehicle.