Updated at 7:16 p.m.
Vermont State Police continued on Friday evening to look for a Morrisville man who was allegedly involved Thursday night in a shootout with police in which one officer was injured.
The incident began around 8:45 p.m. Thursday when the Morristown Police Department responded to a report of a kidnapping and domestic disturbance involving Henry Lovell, his family member and another person, according to a press release from the Vermont State Police.
A Morristown officer who went to the scene — an apartment near the intersection of Upper Main and Pleasant streets — was met with gunfire, according to the release. The officer recognized Lovell from prior interactions with him and returned fire, police said, before Lovell fled on foot.
The officer, who suffered minor injuries during the exchange, was treated at Copley Hospital in Morrisville and released.
“The officer was struck by pellets from the shotgun,” Maj. David Petersen of the Vermont State Police said during a Friday evening press conference outside the Morristown Public Safety Building. “None of the injuries sustained by the officer were penetrative in nature.”
Petersen said police do not know if Lovell was struck in the gunfire exchange.
Police said in a Friday afternoon release that, following the shootout, surveillance footage from inside the nearby Veterans of Foreign Wars post shows Lovell entering the building carrying a shotgun, which a patron then wrestled away from him.
Lovell fled the building on foot, according to the release, and has not been seen since that encounter, which took place around 9 p.m. Thursday.
“The police have accounted for all firearms Lovell might have had access to,” a release issued late Friday afternoon stated, “but the authorities are continuing to treat the subject as potentially armed and dangerous given the nature of the events that occurred Thursday night and Lovell’s history with law enforcement.”
Lovell was due in court Friday on several pending cases against him, including charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, lewd and lascivious conduct, resisting arrest, violation of conditions of release, simple assault and unlawful mischief.
Nearby schools were closed for the day as police searched for Lovell.
On Friday morning, about a half-dozen law enforcement officers with at least one K-9 could be seen walking through downtown Morrisville carrying rifles and wearing green helmets and camouflage.
A large section of Pleasant Street, including a mix of homes and businesses such as the Morrisville Food Co-op, was cordoned off with yellow police tape throughout the morning and into the afternoon Friday. Numerous officers stood within the closed section, and a low-flying helicopter could be seen circling the area shortly before 11 a.m.
Vermont State Police’s Major Crime Unit vehicle was parked across the street from the Morristown Police Department. Crime scene investigators with measuring tape could be seen at the scene gathering evidence. The crime scene team also used a drone to get an overhead view of the scene.
Jonathan Mogor, owner of nearby Soulmate Brewing Company, had a security camera on his building that captured audio of the shooting, but the shooting scene was outside of camera view. Several loud pops could be heard in the video.
“You hear shots, but you don’t see anything,” said Mogor, who earlier in the day provided the video to police.
Police have advised residents and businesses in the area to use caution and report any suspicious activity or possible sightings of Lovell to authorities.
Investigators are asking anyone who was on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, especially west of Morristown, or on recreational trails near Cady’s Falls throughout the day Friday to call police if they saw anyone suspicious or matching the description of Lovell.
Petersen said dozens of tips have come in and been followed up on, including one around 5 p.m. of reports of shots fired. That incident turned out to be unrelated to Lovell and the search, Petersen said.
A distributed photo shows Lovell is white with blond hair. Police said he is 6 feet, 2 inches tall and 170 pounds. He was last seen wearing a camouflage-style jacket, dark pants and a red ball cap.
