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Burlington City Council responds to recent rise in violent crime

In addition to Saturday's fatal shooting in Red Square, Burlington has seen several other recent incidents. Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said there have been nearly a dozen violent crimes since Aug. 9, including a number of them this past weekend. Burlington police continue to meet that challenge with fewer staff than usual. “The incidents Burlington is dealing with demonstrate how complex public safety issues have long been here in the city,” Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak said. At a police press conference Monday, Murad addressed all of the weekend's incidents. They included an attack near Walnut and Archibald streets in which a man was beaten by several people after they got into an argument over him throwing a can out his car window. “Basically, they got the man to get out of his vehicle, which he did. Then they violently assaulted him,” Murad said. On Sunday evening, police responded to the King and Battery Street area after gunshots were reported. On Monday morning, they found a vehicle connected to the incident and evidence that led them to believe someone had been shot and may be seriously injured. “We seized the vehicle. We found that there was actually quite a bit of blood on it. We found that the holes are completely consistent with bullet holes,” Murad said. It is the 11th gunshot incident of 2024. In 2022, the BPD recorded 26 gunshot incidents, the most in recent memory. By the end of August, there had been 22 gunshot incidents at this time. Some residents, like Chris Haessly, are concerned about the number of gunshot incidents recently. This includes a recent case in which a 17-year-old was shot in the chest at the “A-Dog Skatepark” on Burlington's waterfront. Police said the victim, however, was part of a group, some of whom were known to be teenagers, who were accused of various crimes in the city this month.”The question for me is, 'Where are the parents? Like, 'Why are there young people carrying firearms in our community?'” Haessly said.Haessly, who lives near Church Street, believes the impact of cutting funding to the police department in 2021 is now being felt. “I fear that what we're seeing here today and for the past few years is the end result of that decision that was made just a couple of years ago,” Haessly said.After Saturday's killing and the recent spate of violent crimes, Mulvaney-Stanak said her office is working to improve safety in Burlington. “We have made significant investments in the current fiscal year of $2 to $3 million that we are actively trying to implement, including hiring 10 more officers, hiring additional security officers and hiring a senior assistant for my public safety office,” Mulvaney-Stanak said.The BPD is asking the public for assistance in all of these cases.If you have any information, call 802-658-2704.

BURLINGTON, Vermont —

In addition to the fatal shooting on Red Square on Saturday, several other incidents have occurred recently in Burlington.

Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said there have been nearly a dozen violent crimes since Aug. 9, including a number of them last weekend.

The Burlington Police Department continues to meet this challenge with fewer staff than usual.

“The incidents Burlington is grappling with demonstrate how complex public safety issues have long been in the city,” said Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak.

At a press conference within the BPD on Monday, Murad addressed all of the weekend's incidents.

This included an attack near Walnut and Archibald Streets in which a man was beaten by several people after they got into an argument over throwing a can out his car window.

“Basically [they] “They forced the man to get out of his vehicle, which he did. Then they brutally attacked him,” Murad said.

On Sunday evening, police responded to the area around King and Battery Streets after reports of gunshots.

On Monday morning, they found a vehicle related to the incident and evidence that led them to believe someone had been shot and may have been seriously injured.

“We confiscated the vehicle. We found that there was indeed quite a lot of blood on it. We found that the holes clearly indicate bullet holes,” Murad said.

It is the 11th shooting incident in 2024.

In 2022, the BPD experienced 26 shootings, most of them recent.

By the end of August, there were 22 firearms incidents.

Some residents, like Chris Haessly, are concerned about the number of shootings recently.

This includes a recent case in which a 17-year-old was shot in the chest at the A-Dog Skate Park on Burlington's waterfront.

However, police said the victim was part of a group of people, some of whom were believed to be teenagers, who were carrying firearms and were accused of committing various crimes in the city this month.

“The question I ask myself is, 'Where are the parents?' Like, 'Why are there young people with guns in our community?'” Haessly said.

Haessly, who lives near Church Street, believes the impact of cutting police funding in 2021 is already being felt.

“I fear that what we see here today and in recent years is the end result of that decision that was made just a few years ago,” Haessly said.

In light of Saturday's murder and the recent spate of violent crimes, Mulvaney-Stanak said her office is working to improve safety in Burlington.

“We have made significant investments in the current fiscal year in the range of $2 million to $3 million that we are actively trying to implement. This includes hiring 10 more officers, hiring additional security officers and hiring a senior assistant for my office of public safety,” Mulvaney-Stanak said.

BPD asks the public for assistance in all of these cases.

If you have any information, call 802-658-2704.

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