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Thursday, Jan 16, 2025

Middlebury police investigating possible gunfire near Hannaford

Hannaford.
Hannaford.

Last Saturday night, the Middlebury Police Department responded to reports of gunfire behind the Hannaford Supermarket in town. No injuries were reported; six minors and one adult were detained and subsequently released pending an ongoing investigation.

At approximately 11:20 p.m., the Middlebury police were requested to survey the area behind Hannaford for a vehicle which had been involved in a shooting in a home at St. Albans, Vt. earlier that night, according to a press release on Jan. 13 from the police department.

“We started receiving 911 phone calls of potential gunfire, so Middlebury police investigated,” Middlebury Police Chief Jason Coveys told The Campus in an interview on Tuesday.

“I have to stress that most that this is still a work in progress, so the investigation that is ongoing now is to determine the actual physical evidence and digital evidence, so that we can piece together so we know what happened so we know what criminal charge would be appropriate, which was not readily apparent that night,” Covey added.

Officers were initially notified of gunfire behind Hannaford but did not find them in this location. They then received notifications that the vehicle had been reported near the area of the  Abbey Pond Trail, where they were able to detain those involved. Officers detained seven people, one of them a runaway minor, and found two firearms, as well as other ballistics evidence which had been stolen from one of the detainee’s family members, according to the press release.

“The age of the people involved ranged from 14–18 and were released back into the custody of their parents and guardians,” Covey said. “Some of them are from Addison County, while some of them are also from neighboring counties as well.” 

The detained individuals were released due to the fact that police are still investigating the incident to find evidence as well as witnesses in order to put together what happened on Saturday night, both in St. Albans and in Middlebury.

Covey clarified to The Campus that police have no reason or information to suggest that there is a risk to the public. 

The press release also stated that shots may have been fired in the area of East Middlebury.

Police ask anyone with information concerning the incident to call the department at 802-388-3191.

Abbey Pond Trail.jpg
Abbey Pond Trail.

Mandy Berghela

Mandy Berghela '26 (she/her) is a Senior Local Editor. 

Mandy previously served as a local editor and staff writer. She is a Political Science major with a History minor. Mandy serves as co-president for Southeast Asian Society (SEAS), a member on the Judicial Board, and an intern for the Conflict Transformation Collaborative. In her free time, she enjoys cycling and reading fantasy novels. 


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