Police offer few details about Tunbridge shooting that left one man injured
Published: 12-21-2023 2:28 AM
Modified: 12-22-2023 9:27 AM |
TUNBRIDGE — A man was critically injured in a shooting in Tunbridge on Wednesday morning, according to Vermont State Police.
The shooting took place at a residence on Button Hill Road in Tunbridge, according to Wednesday evening news release said.
Responding to a call received just after 6 a.m., first responders found the victim critically injured. They treated him on the scene before transporting him by ambulance to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon for treatment of life-threatening injuries.
Detectives have interviewed the person responsible for the shooting and the investigation is ongoing, the release said, adding that the incident is isolated and there is no danger to the public.
Police are withholding the names of those involved to allow for further investigation and notification of relatives.
Shortly after 6 a.m. on Wednesday, police responded to a call at 128 Button Hill Road, according to across-the-street neighbor Jane Huppee. At that address around noon on Thursday, a man greeted a Valley News reporter by asking her to leave.
The property — on which there are a handful of structures and several cars — is owned by Thomas Hoyt, who rents it and was not involved in the incident himself, said Hoyt’s father, Tom, when reached by phone on Thursday.
The younger Hoyt did not respond to request for comment by deadline.
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Button Hill Road, which connects to Route 110, is unpaved, largely wooded and, in most stretches, houses are spread far apart.
Huppee’s home, however, is perched on a hill about 50 yards across the road from the property where the shooting occurred. On Wednesday morning, Huppee was in her bathroom when she “heard a loud bang,” she said.
Ten minutes later and after a lot of commotion — “there was yelling and moaning and a dog barking” — state and town police, as well as an ambulance, were on the scene, she said. She then watched from the window of her house as first responders loaded a man into an ambulance.
Later in the day, Huppee and her husband returned home after running errands, and police were still at the property across the road.
“Then we look over and there’s a drone in the sky and what looked like lasers,” she said.
“I called local police and asked if we were in any danger, and the trooper said, ‘You’re not in any danger, but I can’t tell you anything because it’s an ongoing investigation,’ ” she said.
At the mouth of the driveway of the scene of the shooting is a sign for “2nd Smallest Chicken Farm.” Huppee said she didn’t know who was living there at this time, but to her knowledge, they weren’t operating a farm.
The ongoing investigation involves the Vermont State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Field Force Division, Crime Scene Search Team, Royalton Police Department and Victim Services Unit.
Police ask that those with information relevant to the case call the Vermont State Police in Royalton at 802-234-9933. Tips also may be submitted anonymously online at vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
Frances Mize is a Report for America corps member. She can be reached at fmize@vnews.com or 603-727-3242.