STATE OF VERMONT
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
VERMONT STATE POLICE
Vermont State Police provides update on fatal police shooting in Springfield
SPRINGFIELD, Vermont (Friday, Aug. 22, 2025) — The Vermont State Police investigation into Thursday night’s fatal police shooting in Springfield remains active and ongoing.
VSP is able to identify the deceased man as James Crary, 36, of Newport, New Hampshire.
Detectives have learned that members of the Springfield Police Department and the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department had responded shortly before 9:30 p.m. Thursday to 78 Valley St. as part of an open investigation. When law enforcement arrived at the address, they encountered a man, later identified as Crary, in a vehicle outside the home.
Crary accelerated toward the officers, who were standing outside their vehicles. At that point, a Springfield police officer and a Windsor County sheriff’s deputy opened fire with their department-issued firearms. Crary was struck by gunfire and pronounced dead on scene.
The state police responded and assumed the primary role investigating the incident, as is customary for all officer-involved shootings in Vermont. VSP is processing the scene of the shooting, interviewing witnesses and reviewing evidence, including video from cruiser-mounted and body-worn cameras.
Crary’s body will be brought to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death. The autopsy is expected to take place Saturday.
The officers involved are identified as:
- Springfield Police Officer Vincent T. Franchi. He was hired by the department as a fulltime officer in August 2020 and worked in that capacity until March 2024. He returned to SPD as a fulltime officer in April 2025.
- Windsor County Sheriff’s Deputy Bryan Jalava. He started fulltime work with the department in May 2024 after beginning his career with the Hinsdale (New Hampshire) Police Department in 2016 and later working for the Windham County Sheriff’s Department in Vermont.
Both officers are on paid leave in accordance with standard protocol following a critical incident. Their photographs are attached to this release.
The Vermont State Police was uninvolved in the underlying investigation that brought law enforcement to 78 Valley St. and is therefore unable to answer questions about that case.
There is no additional information available at this time.
***Initial news release, 2:20 a.m. Friday, Aug. 22, 2025***
The Vermont State Police is investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred Thursday night, Aug. 21, 2025, in Springfield.
Officers with the Springfield Police Department and members of the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department were on scene when the shooting occurred at about 9:30 p.m. on Valley Street between Common Street and Elm Terrace. No members of law enforcement were injured. The man who was shot was pronounced dead on scene.
Following standard protocol, the Vermont State Police is leading the investigation into this incident, including detectives with the Major Crime Unit and Bureau of Criminal Investigations and members of the Crime Scene Search Team. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident is in its initial stages.
The state police will release the identity of the officers involved after 24 hours. The name of the deceased man is being withheld pending notification of relatives and further investigation.
Upon completion of the investigation, the Vermont State Police will turn over the case to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the relevant State’s Attorney’s Office for independent reviews of the use of deadly force.
VSP asks that anyone with information that might assist investigators call the Westminster Barracks at 802-722-4600 or submit an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
No further details are currently available. The state police will provide updates as the case unfolds.
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