Updated at 5:42 p.m.
The Burlington School District closed the Edmunds Middle and Elementary schools on Main Street on Friday after a bullet hole was found in a window.
In a statement, district officials said the schools were closed out of “an abundance of caution” after staff members found the bullet hole Friday morning and it was confirmed by police. The district also canceled all remote learning on Friday.
“We made the decision to close both schools so we could work with the police to investigate the incident,” the statement from district officials read. “At this time we believe the incident happened overnight when our building was empty, and that no students were in any danger at any time.”
According to a Burlington police press release Friday afternoon, a “small-caliber” bullet was located in a third-floor classroom of Edmunds Middle School on the west side of the building.
Following a trajectory analysis, officers determined the bullet likely came from the vicinity of South Winooski Avenue and Main Street, which is about 700 feet from the school. Bullet casings were recovered and are being analyzed to determine if they are related to the bullet found in the classroom.
Officers interviewed multiple people in the area who said they heard gunshots in the early morning and saw cars fleeing the area. The Burlington police did not receive any calls about the incident.
The release stated that, so far, no evidence has been uncovered to suggest that the gunfire was targeted toward the school. This is the 12th gunfire incident recorded in Burlington so far in 2021. From 2012 to 2019, Burlington had an average of two gunfire incidents per year.
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger repeated a talking point in the release that incidents like these show the city needs to invest more in police and public safety.
“This high rate of gunfire incidents, that is such a significant departure from our norm, is unacceptable,” he said.
Schools are expected to reopen Monday.
