By Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First
A 21-year-old Essex Junction woman is facing a charge of reckless endangerment after she reportedly fired a gunshot near the corner of College and Center Streets early Sunday morning, Burlington Police said.
Haily B. Peacock had been downtown drinking with a male companion when they prepared to call for a rideshare about 1:45 a.m., Burlington Police said.
City Officers on foot patrol of Church Street heard a single gunshot ring out from the area of Center Street and responded to the location, Interim Police Chief Shawn P. Burke said.
Officers located two involved people, including Peacock, in the area, police said.
Investigation by Officer Kegan Philbrick said Peacock reported she wanted to ensure that the firearm she was carrying in her purse was safe, police said.
When Peacock pulled it from her purse she accidentally fired the gun as she was attempting to determine whether it was loaded, police said.
Officers located ballistic evidence consistent with her statement, the chief said.
The news release did not say what the bullet hit or the type of gun used.
Peacock was arrested and transported to police headquarters, police said.
She was later released by the Court pending arraignment in Vermont Superior Court on Tuesday on the reckless endangerment charge, police said.
Among her conditions of release by the court is a prohibition against possessing any firearms pending her arraignment.
The shooting is the latest in a series of substantial crimes in a 36-hour period that Burlington Police have made public.
The crime spree has included a homicide of a young man behind Courthouse Plaza on Main Street; a shooting at Church and King Streets; a stabbing near St. Paul and Bank Streets; and the assault of a bicyclist on the Bike Path near North Beach by three juveniles with a knife that was used to slash the man’s tires.
The crimes come in the wake of Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak announcing “Burlington is Back” during a June 22 press conference on the Church Street Marketplace.
The Mayor tried to highlight local economic progress, community safety improvements, and a vibrant lineup of summer events, but the ongoing crime rate and the need for Gov. Phil Scott to send in the Vermont State Police to help provide peace has raised doubts by some if “Burlington is Back.”
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Categories: Burlington, Crime
Bring in the social workers!
Another irresponsible act that empowers those who want to restrict guns in bars.
There are safer ways to determine whether a firearm is loaded than pulling the trigger or otherwise releasing the hammer. Having said that, I can’t blame anyone who values their life and safety from wanting to carry a handgun in downtown Burlington, particularly in the wee hours. Very fortunate no one was harmed, other than their adrenaline rush of hearing a loud and unexpected report as they drunkenly fiddled with their roscoe.
pulling the trigger on a gun is a fool proof way to determine if it is loaded
If you don’t know if your gun is loaded ,then should you be carrying one? “Here’s her sign”.
This is just absolutely absurd! Why wasn’t the safety on? What the heck was she thinking or lack thereof? But she won’t get prosecuted because of what was voted back in on Tuesday
Being a gun-toting person, unless she is a member of a “protected class”, she could very well be targeted by the uber-progressive State’s Attorney. It all depends on the melanin content of her skin and who she sleeps with or identifies as.
I had an upstairs neighbor years ago in NJ (big reason why I escaped NJ) who also didn’t know whether his new .45 semi-auto pistol was loaded, and then put a bullet through the firewall into a neighbor’s couch.
The sound of the gun going off hardly made me twitch b/c I’m from a hardcore NJ city. I heard no one drop dead onto the floor, so who cares? Two hours later, a bunch of cops come and run up and down the stairs giggling. The moron upstairs has a dozen locks on the door and has to speak with is attorney for a half hour before opening the door to the cops. He was not arrested.
I can tell you more about this neighbor, but I don’t really have to, do I?
What I can tell you is this… gun shops need to quit selling to idiots. A gun is not a car or a pickup truck to sell to just anyone. Gun dealers should know what to look for in a firearms customer. One clue is: Does the customer even know WTF they’re doing when looking at or asking questions about a firearm? Begin with that, because merely passing a hunter’s class guarantees nothing, just like passing a boating class guarantees nothing.
Yes, I do believe in the 2nd Amendment. I do NOT believe everyone should be eligible to handle dangerous items… which is why operators have to pass a HazMat test on a CDL to haul dangerous substances in the transportation business. Give buyers a written test prior to every gun purchase, and make those questions varied each time.