A monthly community walk along Bennington’s Walloomsac River is taking place again on Saturday — a few days before the first anniversary of a killing that led local faith leaders to organize the event.
The walk, held on the third Saturday of every month, will start 10 a.m. at People’s Park, located off Depot Street in downtown Bennington.
This weekend’s gathering will commemorate Emily Hamann, 26, whom police said was fatally slashed along the river pathway on Jan. 18, 2021. The walk will include a short ceremony to remember her, said Hamann’s mother, Kelly Carroll. Hamann’s survivors include a son and a twin sister.
The Greater Bennington Interfaith Council organized the first walk in March 2021 to bring community members together following what authorities described as Hamann’s daytime killing.
Organizers wanted to also help local residents, particularly of the Walloomsac River Apartments, reclaim their sense of safety and beauty of the riverside path. The apartments provide public housing to seniors and people with disabilities.
New safety and beautification measures in the area include installing additional security cameras and fixing up old benches along the river pathway.
Hamann’s death was Bennington County’s lone homicide case in 2021, according to state records as of early December.
A Pownal man, Darren Pronto, 33, is charged with first-degree murder in Hamann’s death. He pleaded not guilty. He is being held without bail in a state facility while his case is being heard in Bennington Superior criminal court.
— Tiffany Tan
