A shooting at Burlington’s Roosevelt Park on Sunday evening injured a former city councilor, who said he was struck by shrapnel while sitting in his backyard.
David Berezniak, who represented Ward 2 from 2008 to 2012, was hit in the head just before 7 p.m., he said in an interview. The former Democratic councilor’s home sits across St. Mary’s Street from the park, a popular greenspace in the city’s Old North End that hosts facilities for the local Boys and Girls Club as well as recreational sport leagues.
Sunday’s shooting was this year’s 12th gunfire incident (when a gun is discharged, but not necessarily when someone is struck by gunfire), according to Burlington police. There were 14 recorded gunfire incidents in Burlington last year. Police said Sunday’s incident was also classified as a shooting, since the shrapnel that hit Berezniak was believed to be a direct result of the gunfire.
Democratic Mayor Miro Weinberger denounced the rise in gun discharges, and vowed to announce a plan later this week to address the increase.
“To fully protect the public from gun violence, the (Burlington Police Department) also needs action from other law enforcement agencies, the City Council, and state and federal lawmakers,” Weinberger said in a statement.
Berezniak told VTDigger he and the two people he was with heard gunshots coming from Roosevelt Park, but could not see anything because his yard is enclosed by a fence. Seconds later, he felt pain in the back of his head “like somebody who was 10 feet behind me threw a rock at me,” he said.
“I put my hand up to my head and I was like, ‘damn,’” Berezniak recalled. “My hand felt blood, and I just kept it pressed there.”
Berezniak was transported to the University of Vermont Medical Center for his injuries, which he said included a thumb-sized cut. He was released later on Sunday.
The incident unsettled Berezniak, who has lived in his house since 1987, he said.
“I’ve never witnessed a shooting or gunshots around here,” Berezniak said.
Police responded to the incident and are still investigating, according to a Burlington Police Department press release. Authorities said the shots were fired near St. Mary’s and Willow streets.
Police have not named any suspects in the incident, but did tow a car near the park “in anticipation of getting a warrant to see if it contained evidence,” acting Police Chief Jon Murad said in a text.
Kathryn Field contributed to this story.
