UPDATE: Thursday, July 9
The Vermont State Police identified the Rutland City Police Officers present at the time of Wednesday’s shooting as:
- Cpl. Elias Anderson, seven years of service with Rutland City Police.
- Officer Tyler Billings, three years of service with Rutland City Police.
- Officer Nate Harvey, six years of service with Rutland City Police.
- Officer Elizha Heter, five years of service with Rutland City Police.
- Sgt. Adam Lucia, eight years of service with Rutland City Police.
State police investigators have determined that Officer Billings fired his service weapon during the encounter on Terrill Street. Officer Harvey was struck by the SUV in the course of the incident. The investigation into the full time line and sequence of events is continuing Thursday, July 9, 2020, including interviews with the officers that were involved..
UPDATE: Wednesday, July 8 (3 p.m.)
State police investigators are identifying the injured men as Michael Goodnough, 45, and Robert Vandriel, 32, both of Rutland. Goodnough was the driver of the vehicle, a black 2000 Infinity QX4 SUV, and Vandriel was the passenger. The shooting occurred in a parking lot off Terrill Street while police were involved with a narcotics investigation. The state police has interviewed both men, who have been cooperative with the investigation.
Rutland City Police Chief Brian Kilcullen informed state police investigators that his officers identified themselves to the occupants of the vehicle, and at least one officer was struck by the vehicle prior to the shooting. That officer was treated and released for minor injuries. The state police has yet to independently verify this information.
Chief Kilcullen reported that five members of the Rutland City Police Department were present at the time of the shooting; one has been placed on paid administrative leave as the investigation continues. State police investigators plan to interview the officers in the coming days. Their identities will be release as the investigation proceeds.
State police detectives and members of the Crime Scene Search Team are processing the location where the shooting occurred and the site of the vehicle crash, near Main Street and Jackson Avenue; interviewing witnesses; and reviewing available video of the incident, including from police dashboard cameras and nearby surveillance systems.
Police continue to ask that anyone with information about the incident or who has video or photographs that might be relevant contact the Rutland barracks at 802-773-9101.
INITIAL REPORT— At 8: 15 a.m., Wednesday, July 8, the Vermont State Police announced that it was investigating an incident in which Rutland City police officers shot and wounded a subject early that morning.
Preliminary investigation indicates that at about 12:15 a.m., members of the Rutland City Police Department were conducting a narcotics investigation on Terrill Street involving a vehicle with two adult male occupants. During the subsequent interaction, city police fired upon the vehicle. The circumstances that prompted the shooting and the number of officers who fired is under investigation.
The shooting led to an approximate half-mile pursuit south on U.S. Route 7 (Main Street), until the vehicle crashed into a tree near the intersection of Route 7 and Jackson Avenue. The driver of the vehicle was found to have been wounded by gunshots and was transported to Rutland Regional Medical Center, where he underwent surgery and is recovering in intensive care. The passenger of the vehicle was injured as a result of the crash and was also transported to Rutland Regional Medical Center, where he was treated initially and then brought to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington for further care.
The names of the vehicle occupants are not being released at this time.
The Vermont State Police is investigating the officer-involved shooting, per protocol. Members of the state police’s Major Crime Unit, Bureau of Criminal Investigations and the Crime Scene Search Team are involved. Once complete, the investigation into the shooting will be turned over to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the Rutland County State’s Attorney’s Office for independent reviews of the use of force.
More information will be released when available.
