The bullet that shattered the windshield of a school bus carrying nine U-32 students on Thursday came from an encampment located near the scene of the shooting, Montpelier police said in a statement released Monday afternoon.
Police said a bullet trajectory specialist who visited the scene with investigators on Friday confirmed the police’s initial belief that the bullet was fired from the encampment, located on Home Farm Way.
“In the interest of public safety, the City of Montpelier requested that the Montpelier Police Department remove the occupants of the encampment on Friday evening,” police said. “Those occupants were relocated to another temporary location within the city of Montpelier.”
No arrests have been reported in connection with the incident. Police on Monday made no mention of the three people they had previously said were “detained and interviewed” at the site, where eight firearms were found, but a dispatcher told VTDigger they were no longer in custody.
“Preliminary investigation reveals that this shooting appears to be an isolated incident and the bus and students do not appear to have been targeted,” the release stated.
The Montpelier Police Department said it is working with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as it continues to investigate the shooting.
The city is also working to develop safety protocols for encampments and the overnight shelter that will be located on Country Club Road beginning Nov. 15, 2023, according to the police statement.
