click to enlarge - Colin Flanders
- The scene of an officer-involved shooting in Bristol
Vermont State Police say two troopers responding to a reported domestic violence incident shot an armed man outside of his Bristol home Tuesday night.
A relative of 28-year-old Greg West called police to report that he was intoxicated and engaging in threatening behavior inside of his Lower Notch Road home, according to police. Troopers arrived at the scene to find West standing in a steep driveway holding a shotgun, which he refused to put down despite officers' attempts to "deescalate the situation," Maj. Dan Trudeau said at a press conference Wednesday morning.
"This went back and forth for several minutes, and ultimately, there was some gunfire by the troopers," Trudeau said. A Bristol police officer who was also at the scene appears to not have fired her weapon, Trudeau said.
Officers provided first aid on West until rescue workers arrived, and he was airlifted to the University of Vermont Medical Center. Trudeau did not know where West had been shot but said the man underwent surgery and remained in critical but stable condition as of Wednesday morning.
Several children inside of the home at the time of the shooting appeared to be uninjured, police said.
The troopers, who work out of the New Haven state police barracks, will not be named until Wednesday afternoon at the earliest, Trudeau said. They will be placed on paid leave for five days, after which they will return to work on administrative duties until the shooting is reviewed by the Vermont Attorney General's Office, per state police policy.
Trudeau did not reveal much more at Wednesday's press conference, saying he was unsure exactly how long police negotiated with West or whether the man ever pointed his gun at the officers. He said the call came in around 9:50 p.m., and the shooting occurred around 10:30 p.m. West was hit "a few times," Trudeau said.
Police are now consulting with the Addison County State’s Attorney’s Office about potential charges against West, who was known to troopers before Tuesday's shooting, Trudeau said.
Investigators also plan to interview both of the troopers and the Bristol officer, and will review all other evidence of the incident, including any audio recordings, Trudeau said.
But state police troopers do not wear body cameras, and the major said he did not know if the Bristol officer was wearing one at the time. He said the troopers had parked at the bottom of the driveway, so it's unlikely their dashboard cameras captured the incident.
The shooting marks the fifth trooper-involved shooting this year, according to data posted to the state police website.
The incident was also the second shooting in the same area of Bristol this week. On Monday night, police were notified of an apparent murder-suicide at a home along Upper Notch Road. Police say their initial investigation shows that Gary Guilmette, 71, shot and killed his wife, 70-year-old Candice Guilmette, before shooting himself in the head.
Police said Gary Guilmette suffered from a medical event earlier this year that may have altered his state of mind, but they had not settled on a motive as of Tuesday afternoon.
Trudeau said the incidents were unrelated.