Multiple shootings and other criminal incidents have taken place in Vermont over the past weeks, and police say they are starting to make progress on investigating those incidents.

On Sunday, Burlington Police issued a statement about arrests that occurred the prior Monday  related to a shooting on April 29. In the initial report, the incident is described as an attempted murder.

“After observing the suspects exit an address on North Street in Burlington, BPD made a
traffic stop and arrested Tyrin Smith, 19, for 1st Degree Murder (attempted),” the May 8 police report states.

The report recalls some of the details of the initial incident.

“Since last Saturday’s incident, the BPD’s investigation has developed probable cause that Mr.
Smith—wearing a mask, ski goggles, and gloves—and another person, also masked, made their
way to an apartment at 165 Main Street in search of a person with whom they had exchanged
adversarial and threatening electronic messages,” the report states.

It continues that the targets were strategically approached.

“They climbed a fire escape into the location, traveled across a roof, climbed another fire escape, and entered a hallway. They then pounded on the door of the apartment,” it states.

What happened next was some people in the apartment jumped out of the third-story window to escape, and another person was shot in the chest, escaped, and was saved (and subsequently arrested for drug possession) while fleeing down the scene.

The new update is that an accessory to the crime was apprehended on this past Sunday.

“Fortune Smith was taken into custody in North Carolina without incident. Further information is pending surrounding the extradition of Smith back to Vermont where he will be arraigned in court for Accessory to 1st Degree Murder and Burglary. The Burlington Police Department would like to thank the United States Marshals Service Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force,” the update states.

The Brookfield Shooting

Another recent development involves a shooting at Brookfield, Vermont last Friday. A young man, Juan Sierra, 27, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was shot in the torso and killed, the cause of death was formally declared a homicide as of Saturday.

Another victim, Miguel Fuentes, 29, as of Monday was still hospitalized at Dartmouth-Hitchcock in critical condition from gunshot wounds.

According to a report on Monday by the Vermont Daily Chronicle, both victims had a history of dealing with drugs.

“In August 2019, both Sierra and Fuentes were arrested along with a third Springfield MA resident, Luis Martinez, on charges of trafficking fentanyl into the state,” the report states.

Authorities have determined this to be an isolated incident and do not consider the general public at further risk.

Man dies of overdose in police custody

Among State Police news releases, a man dies in State Police custody. The initial report indicates that a combination of hard drugs was the culprit.

“The office determined that the cause of Jones’s death was acute mixed drug intoxication including fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine, and the manner of death was an accident,” the report states.

According to the report, the victim still had the drugs on him during his initial arrest.

“He subsequently ingested a large amount of drugs while in a holding cell before he experienced extreme medical distress and died in the cell,” it states.

Overdoses on the rise

A WAMC report from late April indicates that overdoses in general are trending in the wrong direction in Vermont over the recent years.

“The 2022 data report finds that accidental opioid deaths increased by 10 percent to 239 over 2021’s total of 217 deaths. In 2020, 158 people died from opioid-related overdoses,” it states.

Michael Bielawski is a reporter for True North. Send him news tips at bielawski82@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @TrueNorthMikeB.