No one was injured when five shots struck and passed through a Barton residence with two adults and an 8-month infant inside, Vermont State Police say.
No one has yet been charged in the shooting Saturday night at a home on Burton Hill Road, police said.
“Based on the trajectory of the bullet holes, troopers determined the shots were fired from the direction of the neighboring residence,” state police said in a news release. “There, troopers located the origination of the shots as the entry of the driveway, and they were fired into the wood line between the two neighboring residences.”
The next day, at about 1 p.m., police said they responded to the neighboring residences for a report of a disturbance between the neighbors.
As a result of that investigation, police said Brent A. Bapp, 35, was taken into custody on charges of obstructing justice, aggravated assault, criminal threatening and aggravated disorderly conduct.
Those charges are separate from the shots-fired incident, which remains under investigation, police said.
Bapp pleaded not guilty Monday in Orleans County Superior criminal court in Newport.
According to a police affidavit made public after that arraignment, at about 9:35 a.m. Sunday, Trooper Daniel Lynch reported speaking to Jason Watson, who told him that his neighbor, Bapp, was “acting in a belligerent manner” toward him.
Watson told the trooper that the night earlier, several bullets were fired through his residence from Bapp’s property. He wasn’t sure who fired the shots.
Troopers saw several bullet holes in the side of Watson’s residence, and spent shell casings were later found on Bapp’s driveway, police said.
“Bapp had called police after the first shooting incident and stated J. Watson had fired back at him,” the affidavit stated. “Troopers had responded again and did not make any arrest at that time.”
At about 1 p.m. Sunday, police said they received another call from Watson, who reported that Bapp was now threatening to kill him, to kill his family and “put them in the ground,” and sexually assault his wife.
“J. Watson stated he was hiding in the bushes as he made the call and could not see whether Bapp was armed,” the affidavit stated.
Police said they went to the scene and spoke with Bapp, who was drinking a Twisted Tea at the time.
“Bapp acknowledged there was an incident the night prior. He stated that J. Watson had fired back at him in retaliation,” according to the affidavit. Bapp denied carrying or brandishing a weapon, the trooper stated, but acknowledged he had them throughout the property, and had handled one earlier in the day.
“He stated that he had been playing audio recordings from the night prior on a loudspeaker,” the trooper wrote, “which may have been what was heard.”
The trooper stated he then went next door and spoke with Watson and two other family members. They reported that on Saturday night, bullets had traveled through the Watson home, “narrowly missing” the people inside.
“Watson stated he had later fired rounds from the back of his residence,” according to the affidavit, “the opposite side from Bapp’s, to show his family what the incoming gunshots had sounded like. He admitted this was poorly timed but had not aimed the shots at Bapps’ property.”
The next morning, around 8 a.m., Watson told the trooper, Bapp started yelling at them, cutting down trees at the property line and threatening them and it continued “on and off through” Sunday until the call to police.
Watson told the trooper he was confused by Bapp’s action because he and Bapp had no previous disagreements.
At the arraignment Monday, the Caledonian Record reported, Bapp claimed he was the victim in the case.
“Your honor, the neighbor shot at me,” Bapp was quoted as saying. “The police report’s all messed up. … The bullets went right over my girlfriend’s head.”
Bapp pleaded not guilty to the charges, which all stem from alleged actions on Sunday.
Judge Gregory Rainville ordered Bapp held without bail until a further hearing.
“This is a highly inflammable situation that the court cannot ignore,” the judge said, according to the Caledonian Record. “And on balance, between Mr. Bapp’s liberty rights as compared to the danger, the threat of risk-of-harm seems to be extreme to the neighbor.”
Adam Silverman, a spokesperson for Vermont State Police, said Tuesday afternoon that the investigation into the shooting is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Derby state police barracks at 802-334-8881. Tips also may be submitted anonymously at http://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
