Updated: State Police unsure if injured man in Waterbury was shot
February 15, 2023 | By Lisa ScagliottiThis story was updated at 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 15.
The investigation into a mysterious incident involving an injured man who turned up at two businesses in Waterbury Center on Wednesday raises new questions including whether or not the man was shot.
Vermont State Police issued an update on the case Wednesday evening saying that “detectives have been unable to confirm whether the man’s injuries were the result of gunfire or some other cause.”
Earlier in the day, state police initially described the incident as “a non-fatal-shooting.”
The evening update provided some new details on the chain of events prior to the man being taken by ambulance shortly after 11 a.m. to University of Vermont Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
However, police said that due to their investigation they are not identifying the man and that investigators are looking to determine how he came to be injured and whether anyone else was involved.
In the evening update, police said they have interviewed several witnesses and had additional interviews scheduled. Detectives also were seeking search warrants for several of the cabins at Stowe Cabins in the Woods located on Cabin Lane along Vermont Route 100, police said.
The first of two calls to authorities about the man came at about 10 a.m., police said in the evening update. The owners of the cabins said they encountered the injured man who reported having been shot, but he left after the owners called 911.
At about 11 a.m, the man entered the cafe at Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea located nearby the cabins. The man was bleeding from his arm and owner Holly Alves said he told staff that he had been on a snowmobile in the woods that had broken down or crashed. “He asked to use the telephone,” Alves said.
A customer in the cafe who happened to be a traveling nurse along with a staffer with experience as a firefighter offered to give the man first aid, Alves explained.
The injury looked serious enough to require medical attention and details in the man’s story and appearance seemed off — including that he did not appear dressed for snowmobiling — which led to the second call to 911.
State troopers were nearby after having responded to the earlier call and they arrived at the cafe within minutes. The man was in a conference room at Vermont Artisan using the telephone and he abruptly left as police arrived outside where he was met by multiple troopers with guns drawn.
“There was a heavy police presence,” Alves said. “The guy was running from the cops.”
EMS also responded to the scene and transported the man to UVM Medical Center, police said.
The investigation involves the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Field Force Division and special teams including the K-9 Unit.
State police spokesman Adam Silverman said there were no specific details yet to share with the public about any possible suspects or vehicles connected with the incident. “Certainly we want members of the community to be aware of this incident, to keep their eyes out, be cautious, and report anything suspicious or out of the ordinary to investigators,” he said.
Anyone with information that could assist investigators in this case is asked to call the Vermont State Police in Berlin at 802-229-9191. Tips also may be submitted anonymously online at vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.