A 35-year-old man died of a gunshot wound at the scene of the Occupy Burlington encampment, according to the mayor.Police said it will be several hours before they know more, but did say there is no danger to the public. Police said they have recovered the weapon.
Todd Lacroix, an Occupy Burlington organizer, echoed several people on the scene who said the shooting was apparently self-inflicted.
Fletcher Allen Health Care spokesman Mike Noble confirmed at about 5:25 that the man died. He said he could not identify the man because doing so would violate federal privacy regulations.
Burlington officials plan a 6 p.m. meeting in a city hall conference room with Occupy Burlington protesters to discuss the future of the encampment in the wake of the fatal shooting.
Burlington Police Chief Michael Schirling told occupiers that there must be modifications to the rules of the encampment, which will be discussed at the meeting.
At a police briefing at the park Burlington Deputy Police Chief Andi Higbee said police received a 911 call a little after 2 p.m. of a discharged firearm in the park.
“We do not believe the public is at risk,” Higbee said.
Police and rescue personnel swarmed into the park shortly after 2 p.m. A motionless man was removed from a green tent where blood was evident. About a half dozen police cars were at the scene at about 2:20 p.m. Police were seen questioning several people as others standing in the park cried and hugged each other.
Police said they were trying to get a warrant to go into the tent where the shooting apparently happened.
Higbee said a firearm was recovered at the scene, but he declined to describe the weapon.
Hayley Mason of Burlington, who said she has been involved with the Occupy Burlington movement since it established itself in the park October 28, said the man who was shot had been in the park for several days at least.
She identified the man by his first name, Josh.
“I don’t know a lot about his personality. He loves the outdoors. He’s been a member of our community,” she said.
SOMEONE MAY HAVE KNOWN THIS PERSON!!! THIS THREAD IS OUTRAGEOUS!!!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
/end of my post. Didn’t read a single word of the OP
was prob that hippies first time shooting a gun
sounds like the guy killed himself
Can’t wait til all of those occupiers are freezing to death this winter.
Side note: Out of all the places where they’re protesting, go figure the only one where there was a death is in fucking Vermont. Got damn cow tipping, pot smoking, nudists with no lives and nothing to live for. /attemptstooffendJim.
CSI: Burlington
So true :rofl
I just drove by there yesterday afternoon too. Still proves my point everyone in Burlington is nuts.
:rofl
ive always wanted to give protesting a shot…eerrrr, i meann just go on down there and set the sit ins off with a bang…no no no, i didnt mean it like that…FUCk IT, id never have a shot in hell in making it the whole sit in. damn hippies
LOL i drove through burlington yesterday around noon
…althoughhhhh, i bet they really have some mind blowing bud out there
KBB shot em.
Looks like there off to a good start , proving there point by rapes , killings and whatnot . Hmmmmm hippies are trying to turn every city into woodstock
take a shower and get a fucking job you dirty good for nothing hippies.
I drove by their campsite in Albany yesterday. Theyre just as bad, if not worse than ‘those people’ that walk in the middle of the road, dont work, collect welfare and commit crimes.
Middle-aged white women? I don’t think there’s anything worse than them…
get em paul!
not who I was talking about.
pjb…what the HELL does “those people” mean exactly???
take a wild guess. I was in downtown Albany yesterday.