Updated Dec. 14, at 3:12 p.m.
ST. JOHNSBURY — A local police officer was shot and wounded Friday afternoon while responding to a report of domestic violence, according to Vermont State Police.
Authorities said they were searching for the shooter, who they warned could be armed and dangerous. State police advised members of the public “to be vigilant and take reasonable precautions, including locking doors to their homes and vehicles and remaining aware of their surroundings.”
State police identified the suspect as Scott Mason, 38, of St. Johnsbury. They said in a press release Friday evening that the St. Johnsbury Police Department had responded to a report of domestic violence at Mason’s apartment on Portland Street around 4:30 p.m. Friday, at which time the officer was shot and wounded.
State police later identified the officer as Capt. Jason Gray, who has worked for the St. Johnsbury Police Department for close to 25 years.
Gray was airlifted to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, late Friday. On Saturday afternoon, police said Gray’s condition was “serious but stable.”
According to police, Mason is 5 feet, 11 inches, weighs 220 pounds, has brown hair and hazel eyes. They warned members of the public not to approach him and, instead, to call 911.
The state on Friday night issued a Blue Alert, which can be used to inform the public that an officer has been killed or injured and the suspect is at large. State police said they were working with local, state and federal agencies and had alerted police throughout the region.
Police said Saturday that an arrest warrant had been issued for Mason and that he was wanted on charges of attempted second-degree murder and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer resulting in serious bodily injury.
According to police, Mason was already wanted for failure to appear on forgery charges unrelated to the shooting.
The search for Mason took place during what was supposed to be a festive event in town, the annual St. J Sparkles Holiday Weekend. Instead, the lights from dozens of police cars filled St. Johnsbury, most downtown businesses were closed and streets were blocked off. What appeared to be a police drone hovered near the scene of the crime.
Neighbors on Portland Street gathered in the frigid cold just outside a police cordon, swapping information they had gathered from friends.
By 9 p.m. Friday, the police presence had reduced dramatically outside the crime scene. Two police cars were parked outside the Portland Street house and traffic was being allowed to pass.
