Vermont State Police arrested Morrisville shooting suspect Henry Lovell in Hyde Park Sunday evening after a three-day search. Lovell has been accused of firing a shotgun Thursday night at a Morristown police officer who had been responding to a reported kidnapping and domestic disturbance.
The Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department received a tip that led to the arrest at about 6:35 p.m. Sunday. A member of the public reported seeing a man matching Lovell’s description walking in Hyde Park, about a mile from an area authorities were searching, Vermont State Police said in a press release that night.
A state trooper and an officer from the Morristown Police Department who were in the immediate area followed information from the tip and took Lovell, 24, into custody at the side of the road without incident, police said.
Lovell was processed at the Morristown Police Department and is being held without bail on eight charges, according to police: one count each of attempted murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, first-degree aggravated domestic assault, criminal threatening and violation of conditions of release, as well as two counts of first-degree unlawful restraint.
Lovell is scheduled to be arraigned 12:30 p.m. Monday in Vermont Superior Court in Hyde Park, police said.
The incident began around 8:45 p.m. Thursday, according to Vermont State Police, when Morristown officer Brian Tomlinson responded to an apartment near the intersection of Upper Main and Pleasant streets following a report of a kidnapping and domestic disturbance involving Lovell, a family member and another person.
Lovell had been due in court Friday for several pending cases against him.
Tomlinson was “struck by pellets fired from Lovell’s shotgun but did not sustain any penetrative injuries,” according to police.
Tomlinson recognized Lovell from prior interactions and returned fire before Lovell fled on foot, police said. It was not immediately clear whether Lovell was struck in the shooting.
The officer was treated for minor injuries and placed on administrative leave, as is standard procedure after a shooting involving an officer, police said.
The search for Lovell disrupted life in downtown Morrisville. Schools were closed Friday and some homes and businesses were cordoned off by police tape. Law enforcement officials patrolled the streets with rifles, helmets and camouflage.
By Saturday, police said Lovell could be dead or in hiding. They said they planned to scale back the search by Sunday if he had not been apprehended by then. But on Sunday afternoon, police said they had “reason to believe” he remained in the Morrisville area. Hours later, they found him.