Investigations

By Lilly St. Angelo

Published Oct. 7, 2022 in the Burlington Free Press

Burlingtonians used to enjoy a certain level of exceptionalism when it came to public safety. There were an average of fewer than two gunfire incidents per year and four murders total from 2012 to 2019 in Burlington, the biggest city in Vermont.

The past nearly three years, however, have proven that the city has not escaped national trends. A Pew Research study reported there was a 30% increase in the rate of murders in 2020 across the country. There were 12 gunfire incidents in 2020 in Burlington, one of which was a murder. 

Since 2020, Burlington has seen 51 gunfire incidents as of Oct. 6 and five homicides. Nearly half of these gunfire incidents from the past three years have happened in 2022 alone. Gunfire incidents refer to when guns are used with criminal intent, which includes when a person fires a gun at another person or in the air in a crowded area.

The cause of Burlington gun violence, however, is another story — one that is hard to nail down. 

Patterns have appeared in the narratives: late-night tiffs between strangers that quickly escalate, social media drama or long-running feuds coming to a head, substance abuse, abusive relationships and youth involvement are all trends in the past nearly three years of gun violence in Burlington, according to police investigations reviewed by the Free Press.

Easy gun accessibility and drug trafficking have always been major drivers of crime in the Green Mountain State, but new factors brought on by the pandemic and increased distrust between black communities and law enforcement are escalating conflicts to new levels, normalizing gun use and affecting young people.

Acting Chief Jon Murad has repeatedly said that interpersonal relationship disputes have been the driving factor of gunfire incidents in Burlington this year, but underlying factors including easy access to guns tell a more complete story. In order for an argument to escalate into a gunfight, the people involved have to have purchased or illegally obtained firearms, which is easier in Vermont than in surrounding states because of the gun laws on the books, said Nikolas Kerest, United States Attorney for the district of Vermont.

Vermont is what some call a "source state" for illegal firearm sales, Kerest said. One of the primary responsibilities of the U.S. Attorney's office is to prosecute cross-state drug and firearms trade and for the 12 years he's worked for the office, guns have tended to flow out of the state through illegal trade while drugs flow in from other states, sometimes being exchanged for each other.

In a June 9 press conference, State's Attorney Sarah George of Chittenden County said that among other crime-driving factors brought on by the pandemic including increases in poverty, homelessness and strain on community organizations and institutions, she sees the surge in firearms purchases in the U.S. during the pandemic as a factor in the nationwide increase in gun violence.

"The lack of meaningful gun control in many parts of our country, including Vermont, have worsened this country's existing gun epidemic," George said.

Kelly Ahrens, youth restorative programs manager at Burlington's Community Justice Center, said gun safety in Vermont is also lacking.

According to a 2018 Vermont Department of Health report on firearm safety, 43% of Vermont homes contain a gun. Out of those homes, 17% had guns that were loaded, and out of homes with loaded guns, 65% kept a firearm that was unlocked. Ahrens said recently, youth have been able to get guns from breaking into homes and cars where guns are kept unlocked and pass them around to friends or sell them. Police investigations show that adults also access guns illegally by breaking into vehicles.

The U.S. Attorney's office is one of the partners in the Chittenden County Gun Violence Task Force, a new interdepartmental group focused on reducing gun violence in the county. Kerest's office has specifically redoubled its efforts in the past year to stop illegal firearm trade through prosecuting federal firearms cases. One of the main ways his office prosecutes firearms charges is through the charge of illegal possession by a person who has been convicted of a federal or state felony. Anyone who has committed a felony is prohibited from having a gun.

"Generally that will facilitate keeping dangerous people who are possessing and using guns off the street," Kerest said.

Several suspects arrested for Burlington shootings in the past three years were charged with federal offenses involving illegal possession of guns because they have been convicted in the past for state or federal felonies, according to court documents.

Kerest said there's also been a recent surge in violence associated with drug trafficking in Vermont, although Murad does not think drug trafficking in Burlington is the primary cause of the increase in gun violence. Murad said suspects of the shootings are sometimes involved in drug trade, but some of the most recent shootings, including the Sept. 4 murder at City Hall Park, have made police worry about an uptick of narcotics-related gun violence.

A murder in 2020 offers a window into one of the biggest trends that leaders in the justice field are seeing: personal beefs escalating into gun fights.

In the interviews conducted by police after the murder of Steven Martin on April 26, 2020, there were numerous references to past conflict between Martin and the main suspect, Octavious Allen-Napier. Though it was unclear what their relationship was like at the time of Martin's death, the two had been in a physical fight two years before the day Allen-Napier unknowingly dropped his phone at a gas station and Martin allegedly picked it up.

The two men negotiated a return of the phone over a messaging app through a mutual acquaintance, but threats were allegedly made in the process and when Allen-Napier arrived at Martin's house to retrieve the phone, a fight broke out and bullets flew. Allen-Napier is facing a charge for second degree murder and is awaiting trial. His attorney did not reply to a request for comment.

Ahrens, of Burlington's Community Justice Center, said in her work with young people in the past few years, she has seen the trend of interpersonal issues leading to violence.

"One of the things that we noticed was the small stuff wasn't staying small," she said. "So folks being isolated from each other during COVID, a lot of Internet stuff, they weren't seeing each other and interacting as humans with each other. And so there would be something that was said six months prior, and then they might just see that person again and then snap."

There have also been a handful of shootings this year that appear to be isolated incidents of conflict among strangers late at night that escalated within minutes from verbal or physical fights to gunfire.

In the March 31 shooting in Marketplace Garage, a group of teens allegedly yelled something at another group of young people they didn't know, which resulted in a member of the group shooting three of the teens.

Suspects of two other shootings this year that allegedly involved strangers shooting strangers have told police that the person they shot shouted racial slurs at them.

George, the prosecutor, said in the June 9 press conference that an increased lack of trust between people of color and police and the legal system over the past few years has also contributed to the increase in gun violence. She said victims and witnesses of are less likely to report crimes, cooperate with police and engage in the legal process after charges are brought if that trust is eroded.

Nearly half of the 13 suspects arrested for this year's shootings have been 25 years old and under, according to police records. Murad has stated multiple times that the group of young people involved in gun violence Burlington is small, and in an interview with the Free Press, he said fewer than 12 people who have repeatedly interacted with police are contributing to around 50% of all the gun violence. However, recent gunfire incidents that haven't included this group have made that percentage go down, Murad said in an Oct. 3 press conference. He also said that recent arrests of individuals in the group most prone to violence have reduced violence in the group.

Ahrens has a different perspective of guns and youth. The Community Justice Center gets referrals from police and community members about harassment, vandalism or neighborhood conflicts and tries to intervene before an incident leads to arrest. They also get referrals from the State's Attorney's Office through court diversions and act as a restorative justice resource to people on probation. Ahrens said from the range of situations she's seen, she thinks the issue of youth using guns is more widespread than a small group of individuals.

King James is the founder of Fight for Kids, a local nonprofit focused on empowering kids to be physically, mentally and emotionally stronger and more resilient. James said gun violence issues among youth stem from deeper struggles with mental health. He sees a lack of self-worth in kids he works with, which he attributes to social media where people can alter photos and share curated versions of their lives, which leads to kids believing perfection is possible. James said this makes it difficult for kids to shake off their own mistakes or imperfections. This leads to depression and a lack of empathy for themselves and others.

"They don't see themselves as being precious or loved or worth anything," he said.

Ahrens also is concerned about the specific burdens youth face today and how they are leading to gun violence. Even before the pandemic, Ahrens said youth were struggling with anxieties that surprised her, including climate-change related worries, how they were going to pay for college, job security and housing. Then the pandemic hit which exacerbated poverty, housing concerns and mental health of caregivers.

"Everyone's capacity was so low and limited and stretched thin, so we as adults were less able to show up for young people either in our homes or outside our homes, and youth feel that really intensely," Ahrens said.

In addition to easy access to guns, Ahrens and her staff see gun use arising from situations where a youth lacks stable housing and feels their personal safety is threatened. In other cases, youth use guns in what Ahrens called a "socially appropriate risk-taking activity." In other words, for some youth, guns are becoming normalized as a rebellious activity, like smoking weed or driving fast.

James, who also owns Next Level Barbers in Burlington, sees kids mimicking gang behavior because they think it's cool and access to guns is easy. Pulling the trigger can happen out of fear, he said, not pure maliciousness.

"They're afraid, they're not hardened criminals yet," he said.