Assault – In the early hours of November 17, the Burlington Police Department received a report of a physical disturbance at the Downtown Transit Center bus station. Responding officers arrived at the scene and discovered that a man named Reginald Smith, 32, had assaulted another person. According to an independent witness, Smith repeatedly struck the victim while he was on the ground, displaying no intention of stopping. As a result, Smith was promptly arrested by the officers.

This was not the first run-in between Smith and the Burlington Police Department. Only a few dats before, on November 14, around 9:14 p.m., an officer on duty at the Patrick Leahy International Airport had encountered Smith. The officer had requested Smith to leave the premises as he had been staying overnight for multiple nights at the airport without any travel plans. Unfortunately, the situation escalated when Smith attacked the officer as they were heading towards an exit. The altercation attracted the attention of an airport employee and a bystander, who came to the officer’s aid. Additional officers from the Burlington Police Department then arrived and successfully apprehended Smith. During the processing, he refused to provide proper ID, resulting in the need for fingerprint identification. Consequently, Smith was detained overnight. The following day, he provided false names to the court and was held for an additional night before being released.

Gunfire – In a separate incident that occurred earlier that morning at approximately 3:28 a.m., the Burlington Police Department received multiple 911 calls reporting the discharge of a firearm near the intersection of St. Paul St. and Maple St.. Upon arrival, officers encountered a 55-year-old man who claimed to be the victim. The individual displayed visible signs of having been involved in a physical altercation and was heavily intoxicated. Due to his level of incapacitation, the officers took him into custody for his own safety. Despite the victim’s condition, the police still investigated the incident. Their preliminary findings suggested that an altercation had taken place between the victim and three other males. Within the course of this fracas, there was reason to suspect that a single gunshot had been fired, originating from a jacket pocket belonging to one of the involved. However, no ballistic evidence was recovered, and there is no info on anyone being injured by it.

The case involving the discharge of the firearm remains open, adding to the alarming tally of gunfire incidents in Burlington. This particular incident marks the 15th case of gun-related violence reported in the city throughout 2023, further underscoring the ongoing concerns surrounding public safety.