A state trooper shot and killed a man Monday in Putney after reportedly seeing what he believed was a firearm in the man’s hand and after the man ignored police commands, according to the Vermont State Police.
A later search of the man’s apartment, police said Tuesday, turned up no firearms.
Scott Garvey, 55, who lived in the apartment at Putney Landing where the shooting occurred, died from gunshot wounds to his torso and left lower extremity, according to a state police press release Tuesday evening.
Trooper Peter Romeo, who fired on Garvey, has been placed on paid relief-from-duty status, which is standard state police protocol following a shooting.
Romeo works out of the state police barracks in Westminster, where he has been assigned since his graduation from the Vermont Police Academy in January 2023, according to the press release.
Events leading to the shooting began around 11:20 p.m. Sunday, when police received a call from a person at the apartment reporting a “mental health concern,” the release stated.
A mental health caseworker embedded with the state police “dealt with the concern over the phone, and troopers did not respond to the scene,” according to the release.
At about 7:15 a.m. Monday, the release stated, police got another call coming from the apartment, followed at 11:15 a.m. by a report from another Putney Landing resident that Garvey was outside “exhibiting concerning behavior and making threatening” comments.
Troopers went to the apartment along with the mental health caseworker.
“Mr. Garvey returned to his apartment and barricaded himself inside while continuing to make threatening statements, including of self-harm,” the release stated.
The caseworker and troopers tried to talk with Garvey to resolve the situation to no avail. The troopers then got a warrant to enter the apartment to charge him with criminal threatening and disorderly conduct, the release stated.
“Upon entering the apartment at about 4:30 p.m., troopers encountered Mr. Garvey and reported that they saw an object in his hands that they believed to be a firearm,” according to the release. “Mr. Garvey did not respond to commands given by the troopers. Trooper Romeo fired his service weapon.”
State police did not say how many shots were fired. Garvey was pronounced dead at the scene. After the shooting, the release stated, a search of the apartment found no firearms inside.
The Vermont Attorney General’s Office and Windham County State’s Attorney’s Office will be conducting independent reviews of Romeo’s use of force.
The Windham & Windsor Housing Trust, owner and operator of the Putney Landing apartment complex, posted a statement Tuesday on Facebook.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic events that took place yesterday at Putney Landing during an encounter between Vermont State Police and a resident experiencing a severe mental health crisis,” the post stated.
Despite “efforts to de-escalate and bring the situation to a peaceful resolution, the confrontation ended in the loss of a life — a heartbreaking outcome for everyone involved,” the posting added.
The post did not name the resident who died, but he was later identified Tuesday evening by state police as Garvey.
“Our shared responsibility is to care for one another and to build a stronger, more compassionate response to those in crisis — one that upholds the dignity and value of every person,” the post later noted.
