A Fair Haven police detective has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of Castleton man last spring.
The Vermont Attorney General’s Office has concluded that the use of deadly force by Shaun Hewitt was justified when he shot and killed Kenneth Barber Jr. on June, 19, 2023. The office announced the findings of its independent review on Friday.
In September, the Rutland County state’s attorney came to the same conclusion and also declined to file criminal charges against Hewitt.
According to a press release from the attorney general’s office, the shooting occurred after Hewitt responded to a call for help involving a man — later identified as Barber — who was assaulting his neighbor on Washington Street in Fair Haven.
When Hewitt arrived at the scene, three neighbors were attempting to restrain Barber on the ground, and one of them told the detective that Barber had a gun. Hewitt assisted in restraining Barber, and one of the neighbors removed a gun from Barber’s waist.
Barber, 38, refused Hewitt’s commands to surrender and fled to his nearby vehicle, the release stated. Hewitt tried to use pepper spray to subdue Barber, but the device didn’t deploy properly. Barber then got into the driver’s seat, started the car and put it in reverse as Hewitt was standing between the open driver’s door and the car frame, the release stated.
Hewitt told Barber: “Don’t do it,” and “Stop,” according to the release, but Barber accelerated the car in reverse. Hewitt, who was still wedged in the open door frame, fired one shot striking Barber’s torso.
The car continued traveling in reverse for a short distance before coming to a stop. Hewitt and a nurse who was in the area began treating Barner until medics arrived.
The Attorney General’s Office concluded that, given the circumstances, “Detective Hewitt reasonably believed that he was in imminent danger of being killed or suffering great bodily harm and was, therefore, justified in using deadly force to defend himself.”
