One man was arrested and another cited after a fight in Burlington’s City Hall Park led to gunfire early Thursday morning, Burlington Police Department said.
Police said in a press release that they don’t believe anyone was hit by the gunfire, but the City Hall Park public bathroom was struck.
William Carriero, 33, of Waitsfield was allegedly involved in a fight with William Whitney, 21, of Brandon just before 1:00 a.m. on Thursday. When police arrived on scene in the park, the two men reportedly had injuries from a fight. A gun and a fired bullet were recovered.
Police said Carriero was arrested without incident and transported to University of Vermont Medical Center for injuries from the fight. He was then moved to Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans and held without bail.
Whitney resisted, which resulted in the police using pepper spray to subdue him. He was also transported to the hospital for “self-inflicted injuries and to be decontaminated from the OC spray,” according to the release written by police spokeswoman Sarah Hernandez Timm. Whitney, who police said had brass knuckles on him, was cited for disorderly conduct.
Several incidents of gunfire in City Hall Park have rattled the city over the last year. Burlington Police are hoping to help address a shortage of patrol officers by inviting Vermont State Police troopers to sign up for overtime in the Queen City.
