Three individuals from Vermont have been charged by Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) for their alleged involvement in a shooting incident in Washington County in November 2024.
Vermont Game Wardens and State Police conducted an investigation and concluded that on November 30, the group drove through Salem in search of a deer to hunt. Upon spotting a buck, the driver tried to take a shot at the animal from the vehicle. However, when a truck pulled up behind them, the driver quickly withdrew the firearm. In the process, the rifle accidentally discharged inside the vehicle, resulting in a bullet passing through the driver’s hand and exiting through the vehicle’s door.
After the incident, the group returned to Vermont and promptly reported it. They initially claimed that the incident took place in Vermont itself. However, upon further investigation, it was revealed that the incident had actually occurred in New York. The shooter eventually confessed to this fact, leading law enforcement authorities in Vermont to hand over all the relevant information to ECO Krug.
During the investigation, ECO Krug and Investigator Panipinto conducted interviews with the three individuals involved. As a result, the shooter, who was already a convicted felon, was apprehended and charged with several offenses, including criminal possession of a weapon, hunting without a license, possession of a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle, discharging a firearm over a highway, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a farm structure. Following the incident, the shooter spent five days at Albany Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. The other two individuals received a total of seven tickets for their involvement in the shooting incident.