A man was arrested and charged with fatally stabbing a victim in broad daylight at a busy Church Street intersection on Wednesday afternoon, Burlington police said.
Louis Fortier, 36, surrendered to police at the scene after allegedly stabbing Richard Medina, 43, multiple times in the neck at the corner of Church and Cherry streets, police said. Police described both men as transients.
Medina was pronounced dead at the University of Vermont Medical Center at 2:20 p.m., shortly after he was stabbed.
Police said they recovered a knife at the scene and that video cameras captured the encounter. Several witnesses identified Fortier as the killer, police said.
Authorities did not provide a motive for the stabbing, but said the encounter was not random.
Fortier recently arrived in Burlington from Massachusetts, where he has an extensive criminal record, police said. Since 1996, Fortier has been charged with assault with intent to murder, armed bank robbery, assault on a police officer, aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon and several other alleged crimes.
Medina also had extensive police contacts, including mental health calls, police said.
WCAX talked to Jason Ploof of Burlington, who said he saw the aftermath:
“Saw my friend in a pool of blood. He was pretty much lifeless,” Ploof said. “And as I approached, the police told me to get back across the tape. And I did, and I watched them pick his limp body up, put him on a gurney, trying to resuscitate him and bring him to the ambulance and they sped off.”
Police asked that anyone who witnessed the attack and has not yet spoken with authorities to contact Detective Jamie Morris at 540-2254.
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Not sure what the cause is but Burlington is definitely much grittier than it was 15 years ago. The Great Recession, the opiate epidemic, policies that encourage vagrants, combo of all three? There is more litter, more cigarette butts, more homeless, and the homeless and day people are seemingly more aggressive. Unfortunately seen people walking with little kids in broad daylight near Muddy Waters or City Hall and get yelled at.
The Marketplace Garage & Keybank Building staircase areas were always a little sketchy. Burlington seems to have no problem with people living in the various parking garage staircases and using these areas as bedrooms and bathrooms. Taxpayers can only subsidize so much public housing when Leahy and Sanders are simultaneously insisting we spend trillions on Military Keynesianism like the F-35. In the old days, there was comparatively economical and supervised state housing. Yes, abuses at places like Willowbrook, but not all state housing was like that. People were at least fed and sheltered and not necessarily harming others or themselves as much.
Sometimes First Amendment issues with panhandling ordinances, depending on how implemented. Yet not every city has this problem, why is it getting worse here?
First off, Burlington needs a No Panhandling law. Everywhere, not just on the Marketplace. Second, we need to stop the “not in my back yard” attitude toward services and the “derelicts” people are complaining about. Everybody was once somebody’s baby. Let’s be human about this. There’s no magic bullet, but no progress will be made until people speak up and get involved in some solutions, rather than simply complaining in forums like this one. And yes, “derelict” as a noun, refers to a person.
My, my, my… What a stark, stark contrast in both the reporting and the comments on this tragedy. The man was a “Transient”, a full listing of all the past illegal transgressions against the law going back to 1996, discussion of mental health issues, etc etc. How completely, and embarrassingly, different it would be if he had used a gun instead of a knife.
On a side note, nice job Burlington! You want to push full steam to become an overdeveloped big city, you got overdeveloped big city problems. “The fastest growing city in Vermont” soon to become known as the armpit of Vermont.
It’s sad for anyone to die in this manner and, while the rush to find a solution–as expressed in many of these comments–to prevent further violent events is human and makes sense, it might be best in the immediate aftermath to just take a moment and mourn that someone lost their life.
Something does have to be done about the aggressive street people. Try working near the corner if Church and Main. These people, though clearly with issues, are drunk, dangerous. And yes, mentally unstable.
I am a downtown three days a week for work and have been for years. It has gotten so bad that I do not feel safe parking in the cherry st parking garage anymore – there are men, often drunk, hanging out in the stairwells – and NO ONE DOES ANYTHING! All of these activities are not only hurting people but the very life of our downtown and our business.
I agree since Miro our city has gone downhill…………why build an apartment building – who wants to live there?
Derelict used as a noun refers to a person. I agree that there is a growing number of them having episodes on Church Street. I don’t take my young kids there for this reason.
Yes, more funding for mental health patients would help. People have been coming to Vermont to receive mental health care for a while now and we have been reading more and more stories about run ins with mental health patients. Chicken/egg.
Buildings are derelict…not people. This is what happens when there’s no funding for mental health patients. They get put out on the streets. Like most problems these days theres a lack of empathy in the country.
Since Miro Weinberger became Mayor, the murder rate on Church Street is up 100% . . . Just sayin’
Church Street has become inundated with derelicts. I can’t go there during the day without seeing someone screaming curse words to themselves or riled up in some other form. I hate to say it but I’m honestly not surprised this happened at all.