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- File: Oliver Parini
- A Burlington police officer
Updated at 4:09 p.m.
A 21-year-old Burlington man was shot to death Thursday night in the city's Old North End, police said, the first murder in Vermont's largest municipality in more than two years.
Hussein Mubarak died of a gunshot wound to the head, Burlington police said Friday afternoon. Detectives do not believe the murder was a "random incident," and no one has been arrested.
The shooting took place near the corner of Luck Street and Intervale Avenue, a block from basketball courts and a ball field at Roosevelt Park. Someone reported gunshots in the area shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, the department said. Officers found Mubarak with a gunshot wound to his head. He was taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center in critical condition but died later that night.
Police believe the shooter may have fled from the scene into a wooded area of the Intervale, but a search that included police dogs and a drone did not lead officers to a suspect.
The Queen City murder follows fatal shootings in Springfield and Woodstock within the last 30 days. The city, state and country have seen a spike in gun violence since the COVID-19 pandemic began more than two years ago.
Burlington police have recorded more frequent reports of gunshots across the city, including one near Roosevelt Park last month. Those incidents, according to officials, have generally involved groups of young adults known to police. Acting Police Chief Jon Murad, Mayor Miro Weinberger and Chittenden County State's Attorney Sarah George discussed the recent trend during a joint press conference last month.
"Early indications are that this homicide, like more than half of the past gunfire incidents, involves people who have been involved in other, previous gunfire incidents," Weinberger said in a statement Friday morning. "As the police chief, the state’s attorney, and I stated last month, we are dedicated to rolling back this dangerous trend through partnerships, thorough investigations, arrests, and vigorous prosecutions.”
This story will be updated.