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By Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First
BURLINGTON – A Stowe man was fatally shot and a South Burlington woman arrested on a murder charge after a fight inside a Burlington bar spilled out onto Church Street early Saturday, officials said.
Officers attempting to provide medical care to the victim about 12:30 a.m., were hampered by a large crowd that surrounded the officers, Police Chief Jon Murad said. He said the crowd had to be pushed back to try to preserve the crime scene, which included shell casings, bullets, and blood evidence.
Aaliyah Johnson, 22, was lodged on a first-degree murder charge at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington about 11:20 a.m. Saturday, the corrections department said. She was ordered held without bail.
Police said Teville 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. Downtown was particularly active because it was the first Saturday night for the fall semester of local colleges.
Williams was dead on arrival at the UVM Medical Center despite the life-saving efforts at the scene by first responders, police said.
Johnson is expected to be arraigned in Vermont Superior Court in Burlington today.
Murad said in a news release there was an initial altercation inside the bar in which Williams assaulted Johnson.
The Red Square staff directed both patrons to leave through separate doors, police said. Johnson exited one door, but moved toward the other door to confront Williams on Church Street, police said.
The Burlington city emergency dispatch center received a radio message about 12:28 a.m. from an unarmed Community Service Officer (CSO), who heard multiple gunshots while on foot patrol in City Hall Park, police said.
Officers responded and located a man who had been struck by gunfire. They immediately began CPR. An unnamed off-duty officer from an unidentified department was nearby also assisted, Murad said.
At the same time, another officer, who Murad also did not name or say if he was from Burlington, approached the scene and apprehended Johnson. The unidentified officer also recovered a .45 caliber pistol, police said.
The poorly drafted news release from Burlington Police never mentioned the specific criminal charge Johnson was arrested on, that she was lodged in jail and when she would be in court.
There was a large bar crowd downtown Friday night due to the return of college students from three local institutions starting fall classes this week.
A bystander shared with Vermont Daily Chronicle video of aid being given to the victim. It shows police stopping somebody wearing rubber gloves and appears to be giving CPR. Police did not resume CPR before the video ended a few seconds later. The video was taken down from the VDC YouTube Channel for ‘inappropriate content’, but can be seen on the VDC Facebook page.
Murad did say the homicide is believed not associated with the serious incidents described in an earlier BPD press release on Friday about a series of shootings and fights involving teens and young people. The news release does not call them Street Gangs – a term the Administration of Mayor Miro Weinberger banned by city police and others his tenure.
Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak appeared to downplay the fatal shooting as being among people known to each other.
“While this incident is very troubling, it appears to be an isolated act between two individuals known to each other. The investigation is ongoing,” according to Mulvaney-Stanak, who took office this spring.
Some on social media, including former police detectives, noted that most homicide victims know their killer.
“My thoughts are with those who were harmed by violence on Church Street last night, and I offer my condolences to the loved ones of the deceased,” the Mayor said in the prepared statement issued by her press spokesperson.
“Acts of violence like this one ripple throughout our community, impacting our sense of safety,” the Mayor said.
“Burlington is grappling with complex challenges stressing our community safety system as a whole. We are actively working to ensure that we have a community safety system that interrupts cycles of violence, reduces harm to our community, and centers victims and survivors,” Mulvaney-Stanak said.
Red Square posted on Facebook that the nightclub would not open Saturday night so staff members could have the time they needed to reflect and heal.
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Categories: Burlington, Crime
The whole of BTV is a self inflicted gunshot wound.
It bears A DNR tag
Purge it and move on to its next crisis
This is a daily occurrence in vermont.
This only reinforces my prior comment of progressive leadership being a magnet for God’s most despicable creatures. Somewhat purging that element from the remainder of the state. Perhaps overall, not such a bad scheme.
Most foolish 3 words in recent history: “Defund the Police.” Those politicia
Those politicians or wannabes supporting that notion should be removed from office or prevented from election by sensible voters.
Can’t find many sensible voters in VT, They seem to be ignorant or liberal college people that do not have to raise children in VT.
Regrettably, sensible voters in Vermont are in short supply.
I can’t help myself laughing at Street gangs being a forbidden word How about unruly mob will that make everybody feel better?
I feel better cause if they used the word ‘gangs’ it would have a lot of bad connotations. Then I would feel bad in this politically correct society which has been created. Otherwise, I would have to agree with you.
I like armed savages. They can’t be civilized and all the laws in the world cannot stop them. Defund the city council!
Still no confirmation as to whether the accused and the deceased knew each other, furthermore the description of this incident should be 2nd degree at the most or self defense…still not enough information. Who’s sitting on this info?
This seems to be a recent trend. Historically, a case like this would initially charge as second degree, and be elevated as the facts may later warrant. The top priorities in this case will be to cover up any inconvenient truths about the demographics of the 2 participants and to make maximum use of the incident to propose more gun restrictions. Burlington has long proposed restricting guns in licensed establishments but that effort is fortunately hobbled by Vermont’s pre-emption law which prohibits municipalities from imposing their own restrictions beyond those provided by state law. That is where the VT legislature will of course attempt to step in.
Frequent incidents of violence in once-bucolic Vermont are disturbing enough, but silence on the part of public officials and/or the media in dispensing information that may promote public safety is unconscionable.
“Murad said in a news release there was an initial altercation inside the bar in which Williams assaulted Johnson.”
An assault took place, and then you sent the victim of assault out alone with the assaulter? No gentlemen offered to escort the victim that was just assaulted?Something doesn’t add up here.
The “foot patrol” right around the corner didn’t stop this, and all you boot lickers that think wasting more money on building the government’s army against you should think twice about real solutions. Larger police presence will do nothing to stop anything as proven right here. We need to look out for each other, and not do stupid things like this.
No investigation yet? If he assaulted her inside the bar why weren’t the cops called then? How do they know he wasn’t threatening her outside and she was in fear for her life? The bar employees are traumatized by this- do they feel responsible at all for this? Are they? Details, people, details!
You are lucky that you are not living in New York City. Burlington will become the next New York City if this current agenda is allowed to continue.
I see no light at the end of the VT tunnel.
Just another night in downtown Burlington, yes this is the cesspool it has become,
again Vermont’s LA east coast, so one is dead on the street and one behind bars, I bet the families of the new college class won’t be happy with this news, sweet little town Vermont………….. suckers !!
I assume Burlington’s new DEI Mayor and her gaggle of fools ” city council ” will come up with a story so don’t worry because we already reprimanded the police not to use the word ” Gangs ” when we have gangs, how pathetic.
Hey Burlington home and business owners, you better wake up liberals in charge will kill your city, like it’s killing locals that visit or reside here !!
First degree murder. Hm..OK. This is Vermont and Sarah George is prosecuting so at best she will get a watered down manslaughter charge with a sentence of probation.
…or have the charges dismissed, as the whole incident was just further evidence of an uncaring patriarchal society and institutionalized racism manifesting as justifiable rage. Publicly subsidized adult beverages should be free for all, so that no one has to suffer the indignity of having to ask. Mayor Emma-Hyphen should inquire with the folks cooking her meals to see if that privilege could be extended to those in need of refreshment for those who claim to be community organizers, to free up their time to do more organizin’.
Still no pictures of the victim or the perpetrator?
WCAX posted a story with the arraignment photo of the accused…confirmed everyone’s suspicions.
Tel. lie. vision said the shooter Johnson had a registered firearm. i did not know that firearms had to be registered. Maybe she had a concealed carry permit from another state. Burlington Vermont will become another New York City. How well are the gun control laws working there.
Considering the Mayor’s word salad statement – expect more violence and mayhem. As she is a seasoned non-profiteer, she and her ilk have perfected the fine art of successful grifting utilizing a carefully worded, albeit empty, mission statement. Good luck students, residents, and tourists….the Fall is going to be epic…figuratively and literally.