[B]URLINGTON — A man wanted for attempted murder was arrested Monday night in Georgia, more than four months after he allegedly shot an acquaintance on an Old North End street.
“We fulfilled a promise that police make when they confront certain kinds of crimes that we will follow them until they are apprehended,” Deputy Burling Police Chief Jon Murad said at a press conference Tuesday. “Criminals who commit violence in this city will be treated with the utmost concern.”
Alfred Leon Wisher, 37, allegedly shot a man in the head on Burlington’s Clarke Street in March. The victim, Khyann Jones, was taken to UVM Medical Center in critical condition, though his injuries were ultimately not fatal.
Murad declined to comment on Jones’ condition now, though he did note that it was “a very close call,” and that people on the scene were “initially doubtful” that he would survive.
Police say the two men knew each other prior to the shooting. WCAX reported that Wisher came to Jones’ home that day looking for his girlfriend, who told police she was in the process of breaking up with him for cheating on her. When Jones made a comment about Wisher being at another girl’s house, witnesses reportedly said, Wisher shot him.
After the March incident, police noted that Wisher had a criminal record, including a felony conviction, and a history of “violent behavior.”
Immediately after the shooting, Wisher fled the scene. He was located four months later by law enforcement in Savannah, Georgia, where he was living and using an alias, according a Burlington Police Department press release.
Wisher was allegedly in a stolen car when he was apprehended by the U.S. Marshal Service, leading officers on a “brief foot pursuit” before being taken into custody without further incident, according to the press release.
Police declined to comment on how they tracked Wisher down, noting that there is a potential for additional charges in the case, as an investigation in Savannah is ongoing.
Wisher is now in custody in Georgia. Police say he will be extradited to Vermont, where he faces an attempted murder charge.
“This is an attempted murder, but not a homicide. We’re thankful for that,” Murad said. “And I’m certain his family’s thankful for that too.”
This story was updated at 7:22 p.m.
