STATE OF VERMONT
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC
SAFETY
VERMONT STATE POLICE
Vermont State Police provides update on Williston police
shooting
WILLISTON, Vermont
(Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026) — The investigation into Thursday morning’s police
shooting remains active and ongoing.
The man who was shot was
treated at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington for a gunshot
wound to his hip and subsequently released.
The Williston police
officer who fired his department-issued handgun was evaluated for a minor
injury at the hospital and released. Per protocol, the officer has been placed
on paid administrative leave.
According to initial
investigation by the Vermont State Police, the shooting occurred at about 4:50
a.m. when the driver of a car had approached a road hazard, reported as wires
down across Route 2A, where Williston police officers had responded and were
working in the roadway. The details and circumstances leading up to the
shooting remain under active investigation.
State police detectives are
interviewing witnesses, reviewing video including from Williston police cruisers
and body-worn cameras, and gathering evidence. The Vermont State Police Crime
Scene Search Team processed the location of the shooting, near 5479 St. George
Rd., also known as Route 2A. The state road has been closed since the incident occurred
but is expected to be re-opened by 4 p.m.
Maj. Ashley Barnes,
commander of the VSP’s Criminal Division, will be available at the Williston
Barracks at 4:45 p.m. to speak with members of the news media regarding this
investigation.
***Initial
news release, 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026***
The Vermont State Police
is investigating after a member of the Williston Police Department shot and
injured a man on Vermont Route 2A early Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026.
The man who was shot was
taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington. The extent of
his injuries is unknown at this time.
The shooting occurred shortly
after 5 a.m. along the state route between Butternut Road and Old Creamery Road.
No details are currently available regarding the circumstances leading up to
the shooting.
Route 2A is closed
between Butternut Road and Old Creamery Road while the investigation proceeds.
This investigation is in
its earliest stages and includes detectives with the Vermont State Police Major
Crime Unit and Bureau of Criminal Investigations, uniformed troopers from the
Field Force Division, the Crime Scene Search Team and the Victim Services Unit.
The Vermont Highway Patrol and Shelburne Police Department are providing
assistance.
The name of the man who
was shot will be released following further investigation and notification of
relatives.
Following standard
protocol, the Vermont State Police will withhold the name of the police officer
involved for at least 24 hours. At the conclusion of the investigation, VSP
will hand over the case to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the relevant
county state’s attorney’s office for independent reviews of the legal
justification for the use of force.
Anyone with information
that could assist in this investigation is asked to call the state police
barracks in Williston at 802-878-7111 or provide an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
No additional
information is currently available. The state police will provide updates as
the case develops.
- 30 -