Editor’s note: This article is by Randolph T. Holhut, deputy editor of The Commons.
BRATTLEBORO — A workplace dispute turned deadly at the Brattleboro Food Co-op on Tuesday morning.
According to Brattleboro police, Michael Martin, a 59-year-old employee at the store, was shot and killed shortly after 8 a.m.
Another employee at the store, 59-year-old Richard Gagnon of Marlboro, was taken into custody by Brattleboro police.
Gagnon is being held without bail at the Brattleboro Police Department and will be arraigned on Wednesday.
The co-op and the adjacent parking lot was closed as Brattleboro police and Vermont State Police conducted their investigation. Grief councilors met with workers at the co-op, and off-site, throughout the day.
Co-op General Manager Alex Gyori declined to comment about the incident. He was meeting with co-workers all morning outside the store.
No motive for the killing was offered by investigators.
In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, Brattleboro Town Manager Barbara Sondag said that “I don’t believe any of us will ever fully understand what happened and why. What we do know is that our community has experienced a great loss. The life of one has been cut short, and that of another is forever changed — as are the lives of both families. And we as a community are also changed. How we respond will define us. Let us come together and grieve these losses. Let us find hope and peace and let us take care of each other and those most closely impacted.”
The co-op will also be closed on Wednesday. A vigil is scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. on the Whetstone Pathway.
