A member of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department is on leave after his involvement in the shooting of an unarmed man in downtown Winooski on Friday.
Deputy Nicholas Palmier is on paid administrative leave pending resolution of several investigations into the incident, according to a statement from Franklin County Sheriff R.W. Norris.
Vermont State Police say Palmier shot 29-year-old Jesse Beshaw after pursuing him behind a community center on Malletts Bay Avenue. Beshaw reportedly advanced on Palmier with his hand behind his back. Palmier shot Beshaw six times, authorities said. A seventh bullet grazed him.
Beshaw was pronounced dead at the scene.
The situation remains under investigation by the state police, the Chittenden County state’s attorney’s office and the attorney general’s office.
Palmier joined the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department in August 2015. He is a certified level three officer in the state, a level of training required for full-time officers in Vermont.
