Update No. 2: VSP identifies trooper, subject involved in Putney shooting

 

STATE OF VERMONT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

VERMONT STATE POLICE

 

Vermont State Police identifies trooper, subject involved in Putney shooting

 

PUTNEY, Vermont (Tuesday, July 8, 2025) — The Vermont State Police is identifying the trooper who fired his service weapon Monday afternoon in the town of Putney as Peter Romeo.

 

Trooper Romeo has been a member of the Vermont State Police since 2022. He has served as a uniformed trooper in the Field Force Division at the Westminster Barracks since his graduation from the Vermont Police Academy in January 2023. His department photograph is attached to this release. He has been placed on paid relief-from-duty status, per standard procedure following a critical incident.

 

The man who was shot and killed is identified as Scott Garvey, 55, who lived in the apartment at Putney Landing where the shooting occurred. An autopsy completed Tuesday at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington determined the cause of Garvey’s death was gunshot wounds of the torso and left lower extremity, and the manner of death is a homicide.

 

Detectives with the Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding this incident. The investigation to this point has determined the following:

 

The situation began unfolding at about 11:20 p.m. Sunday, July 6, when police received a call from an individual at the apartment reporting a mental health concern. VSP’s embedded mental-health caseworker from the Westminster Barracks dealt with the concern over the phone, and troopers did not respond to the scene.

 

At about 7:15 a.m. Monday, police received another call originating from the apartment, and that was followed at 11:15 a.m. by a report from another Putney Landing resident that Mr. Garvey was outside exhibiting concerning behavior and making threatening statements. Troopers responded to the scene along with the embedded mental-health caseworker. Mr. Garvey returned to his apartment and barricaded himself inside while continuing to make threatening statements, including of self-harm. The caseworker and troopers attempted to communicate with Mr. Garvey to resolve the situation.

 

Troopers spoke with additional neighbors who also reported threatening behavior by Mr. Garvey.

 

Troopers applied for and obtained a search warrant to enter the residence to seize Mr. Garvey so he could be charged with criminal threatening and disorderly conduct. Upon entering the apartment at about 4:30 p.m., troopers encountered Mr. Garvey and reported that they saw an object in his hands that they believed to be a firearm. Mr. Garvey did not respond to commands given by the troopers. Trooper Romeo fired his service weapon.

 

Following the shooting, a search of the apartment by the Crime Scene Search Team located no firearms in the residence.

 

Personnel from the Vermont Attorney General’s Office, Windham County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Vermont State Police Office of Internal Affairs were on scene Tuesday to begin their independent reviews of the use of force.

 

Police continue to ask that anyone with information relevant to this case call the Westminster Barracks at 802-722-4600 or leave an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.

 

No other details are available at this stage of the investigation.

 

 

***Update No. 1, 10:50 p.m. Monday, July 7, 2025***

A man shot by a Vermont State Police trooper Monday afternoon in Putney has died.

 

The shooting occurred at about 4:30 p.m. at the Putney Landing Apartments at 23 Neumann Lane, where police had responded earlier in the day after receiving a complaint from an individual who was concerned about how a neighbor was acting. VSP troopers obtained a search warrant and an arrest warrant for the man living at the apartment in question.

 

The circumstances of the shooting remain under active investigation. The man was pronounced deceased on scene. The trooper who fired his service weapon was uninjured.

 

The body of the deceased man will be brought to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death. VSP will release his name following notification of relatives and further investigation.

 

Following standard protocol, the state police will withhold the identity of the trooper involved for at least 24 hours.

 

When the Vermont State Police investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the relevant State’s Attorney’s Office for independent reviews of the use of force.

 

VSP continues to ask that anyone with information regarding this case call the state police in Westminster at 802-722-4600 or submit an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.

 

No further details are currently available.

 

 

***Initial news release, 7 p.m. Monday, July 7, 2025***

The Vermont State Police is investigating a trooper-involved shooting that occurred at about 4:30 p.m. Monday, July 7, 2025, in the town of Putney.

This investigation is in its infancy and includes detectives with the Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit and Bureau of Criminal Investigations, uniformed troopers from Field Force Division, and the Victim Services Unit. The Crime Scene Search Team will respond to the location of the shooting to process the scene.

Following standard protocol, the Vermont State Police will withhold the name of the trooper involved for at least 24 hours.

Anyone with information that could assist in this investigation is asked to call the state police barracks in Westminster at 802-722-4600 or provide an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.

 

No additional information is available at this time. The state police will provide updates as the investigation unfolds.

 

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