State police continue to seek info from public in shooting case
June 20, 2022 | By Lisa Scagliotti Editor’s note: This post was updated on June 24.
State police continue to ask for the public’s help with information that could lead to an arrest in the shooting in downtown Waterbury last weekend.
Spokesman Adam Silverman on Friday said there were no updates regarding the suspects in the incident that happened near the Main Street Champlain Farms convenience store just after 10:30 on June 18.
One man was injured in the incident and the shooter along with two companions were neither identified or described in detail beyond being “young white men.”
From June 20, 2022
Although they have released few details about suspects in Saturday night’s shooting in downtown Waterbury, Vermont State Police investigators say they want the public to know that they do not believe the incident was random.
“It appears to investigators that this was directed at the specific individuals involved,” state police spokesman Adam Silverman said on Monday. “This was not someone in the community committing a random act of violence.”
Police have not released details surrounding what led to the shooting behind the Champlain Farms convenience store and gas station around 10:45 p.m. Saturday night.
Initially the incident was reported to have occurred near 22 North Main Street which is at the corner of Winooski and Main streets. That was revised to the 1 North Main location in a subsequent police update.
Silverman said just one shot was fired, striking 20-year-old James Eggleston, of Hudson Falls, New York, in the shoulder. Eggleston was not seriously wounded. He was taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center, treated and released, police said.
The shooting happened as Eggleston was in the driver’s seat of a parked car along with two other individuals whom police have not identified. Three young men came up to the vehicle, police said, with one of them striking Eggleston in the head with a gun and then shooting Eggleston.
Police have described the shooter and his companions as “young, white men.” No names or further identifying information is available, Silverman said.
When asked if the suspects were believed to be local, Silverman said investigators did not know if they were on foot because they lived nearby, or because they had a vehicle nearby. As a result, there’s no specific individuals or vehicles to be on the lookout for, he said.
In the meantime, Silverman said investigators would like to hear from the public -- anyone who was out on Saturday evening around this time who may have seen or heard something out of the ordinary. Police also would be interested in whether any property owners with security cameras in the vicinity may have captured images that could be helpful.
Silverman said if someone has even a small piece of information, they are asked to share it. “We’d much rather hear about something and find out it doesn’t pan out than have someone not report something that could be an important detail,” he said.
The investigation involves detectives from the Vermont State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation and troopers from the Field Force Division, police said.
Any tips should be directed to the Vermont State Police Berlin barracks at 802-229-9191 or the anonymous online tipline at vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
Silverman cautioned that the investigation is still early and information could change. “We encourage people to be aware, but we don’t think the perpetrators are targeting the broader community,” he said.