BARRE TOWN – An on-duty Berlin police officer shot a female acquaintance and then killed himself in Barre Town on Monday afternoon, according to Vermont State Police.
Police late Monday night identified Jeffrey Strock, 58, of Brookfield and a Berlin police officer, as the shooter. Julie Fandino, 51, was identified late Monday night as the person Strock shot and killed before turning the gun on himself, police said.
The shooting occurred in a two-unit apartment house on Carpenter Lane off Websterville Road in Barre Town, near the Barre Town Elementary School.
Police earlier Monday released few details about the shooting but by late Monday night provided more information about what they have learned since they began their investigation hours earlier.
The initial investigation, according to police, has revealed that Strock, while on duty with the Berlin Police Department, drove his department-issued cruiser to Fandino’s downstairs apartment at 84 Websterville Road in Barre Town.
Police said Strock shot Fandino on the back porch, and then shot himself.
The state police used the school Monday as a command center for the investigation, according to Maj. Dan Trudeau who spoke with reporters Monday night.
The incident was called into police around 2:20 p.m. Monday by the landlord of the apartment after driving by the two-unit building and seeing the Berlin police cruiser parked outside, according to police.
The landlord, police said, then stopped to see what was going on and found two deceased people and called 911.
Police said they are continuing to investigate the “nature of the connection” between Strock and Fandino. Police had earlier said they were acquaintances. In a single public 2016 Facebook post, Strock said he was “so happy now and in love with my girlfriend Julie.”
The bodies will be transported to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for autopsies, police said.
Strock had worked as an officer with the Berlin Police Department for about 20 years, police said, In addition, according to police, he had worked part time as a deputy for about eight years with the Washington County Sheriff’s Department.
Police had yellow crime scene tape Monday night surrounding the yellow, two-story home only a short distance from the roadway.
The residence had bright lights shining on it as investigators worked the scene. The shine from the lights lit up the school’s playground and its equipment located next to the home.
Websterville Road remained open for traffic during the night, with vehicles passing by slowing down as motorists looked to see what was going on.
The Vermont State Police major scene truck as well as several cruisers were set up a short distance from the home, with a trooper standing watch in front of the crime scene tape at the corner of Westerville Road and Carpenter Lane
Detectives from the Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit and Bureau of Criminal Investigations, and the Crime Scene Search Team and Field Force Division were assisted by the Barre Town Police Department in the investigation.
Police said late Monday that detectives are continuing to interview witnesses, examine records, and speak with neighbors, family and friends of the deceased, while the Crime Scene Search Team processes the location where the shooting took place.
The Berlin Police Department is fully cooperating as the investigation continues, according to police.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Vermont State Police in Middlesex at 802-229-9191.
