BURLINGTON, Vermont (AP) — The recent shooting of three college students of Palestinian descent in Vermont’s largest city comes as the small, rural state, often ranked as one of the safest in the country, faces… A significant increase in armed violence.
Two days after students were shot and seriously injured over the Thanksgiving holiday, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said it was “one of the most shocking and disturbing events in the history of this city.”
Weinberger said Vermont has had 10 homicides and one suspicious death statewide since October, including a double homicide in Burlington. Burlington has seen 16 shootings so far this year, he said, adding that Vermont’s largest city is not alone.
“Many communities are seeing an alarming rise in gun violence with recent shooting incidents in Newport, Danville, St. Johnsbury, Brattleboro, Castleton, Leicester and Brookfield,” Weinberger said at the time.
Overall, the country saw a 6% decrease in national gun homicides between 2021 and 2022, but Vermont saw a 185% jump, according to Vermont State Police Capt. Sean Lunn.
“So we went from seven gun deaths in 2021 to 20 in 2022,” he said, adding that he doesn’t have a current total for this year yet.
About half of the homicides in Vermont involved a firearm between 2017 and 2021, he said. Last year, the percentage rose to 86%, Lunn said.
While authorities are investigating the student shootings as a possible hate crime, several homicides around Vermont this fall are likely drug-related and are all isolated from each other, said Col. Matthew Birmingham, director of the Vermont State Police.
“Vermont has a lot of drug problems. “Fentanyl is a huge problem for this state and the country for that matter,” Birmingham said. “Our overdose death rate is increasing every year, and it is a problem that should be on everyone’s radar.”
Shooting deaths this fall taxed the understaffed Vermont State Police, which made two arrests. Birmingham said the agency has a 15% vacancy rate — with 51 job openings — and about a 25% job vacancy rate, which means there are a certain number of people on family, military or other leave that are not available.
“This puts us in a difficult position. We are doing more work — our calls to service go up every year — with fewer people.
Vermont’s homicide rate statewide last year was about 3.9 per 100,000, compared to Los Angeles at 3.1 and New York City at 2.3 per 100,000, Lunn said. Burlington’s rate was 11.2 per 100,000, exceeding rates in Philadelphia, Phoenix and Springfield, Massachusetts, according to Lohn.
“We don’t have enough ambulances to run them, and we don’t have enough homicide detectives because we’re not designed to handle this high rate of violent crime. So it has a greater impact,” he said.
Andrew Vota, who has lived in the city for 25 years, said Burlington’s drug problem is getting out of control, and it has become common to see people injecting drugs downtown, on City Hall Park and elsewhere.
“It’s a citywide problem and people are experiencing it downtown, but they’re also experiencing it in their neighborhoods and everywhere throughout the city and it’s scary,” he said of drug activity.
Retail theft and other crimes increased and some businesses left downtown.
Vota and Gene Knodel, former Burlington City Council president, drafted a letter this fall that has now been signed by about 1,500 residents of the city of about 45,000, which outlines concerns and makes recommendations.
“The increasing levels of violence, robbery, retail, car and bicycle theft, illegal public consumption of drugs and alcohol, drug dealing, graffiti and other illegal activities are unacceptable,” the letter said.
These crimes come as the city’s police department attempts to rebuild its staffing levels. In 2020, the City Council passed a resolution directing the administration to reduce the maximum number of officers through attrition from 105 to 74, amid calls in Burlington and across the country for racial justice and defunding the police.
More than a year later, the City Council allowed the department to increase its staffing level to the actual number of 87, but then-acting Police Chief John Murad said at the time that rebuilding the department would take years. As of Nov. 15, Burlington had 69 sworn officers.
“I think the main problem is reducing the police force because that’s kind of the backbone. It’s a deterrent,” said Knodel, who did not support the cap.
The city has added security guards to Church Street Marketplace, an outdoor pedestrian mall downtown, to help shoppers feel safe during the holiday season. Other companies plan to fill some of the vacant positions, Weinberger said. The city also planned to hold a community public safety forum on Thursday, and plans to hold another next week to discuss drug trafficking, gun crimes, substance use and property crimes.
After shooting at Palestinian students, the suspect, Jason J., was arrested. Eaton, 48, the next day at his Burlington apartment. He has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder and is currently being held without bail. The shooting comes as threats against Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities across the United States have increased since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in early October.
Meanwhile, Birmingham said Vermont State Police are making progress in investigations into other shooting incidents across the state this fall, including the death of a 77-year-old retired college dean who was shot while walking on a small-town recreational trail. Castleton in October.
Castleton residents remain anxious. Mark Brown, a business owner in the city, who organized a daily mass march Monday through Friday on the road, said they don’t think police are doing enough and they don’t feel safe walking on the road. A fundraising effort led by Brown has raised more than $25,000 toward a reward leading to an arrest.
Birmingham said last month that some investigations would take longer than others. He added: “But I am confident that we will make progress on all these issues, which will end in finding solutions for the victims.”
The recent shooting of Palestinian college students in Vermont has sent shockwaves through the community and raised concerns about the surge in gun violence in the state. The tragic incident has sparked a conversation about the need for stricter gun control measures and a closer look at the root causes of such violence. As the community grapples with this devastating event, it serves as a sobering reminder of the urgent need for action to address the issue of gun violence in Vermont.