Vermont State Police WATERBURY, Vermont (May 13, 2019) — The Vermont State Police is releasing the identity of the two troopers who fired their patrol rifles during Saturday’s officer-involved shooting in Tunbridge during which an armed suspect was holding a hostage and pointing a handgun at police. The suspect was killed and the hostage was unharmed.
Both troopers are members of the state police’s Tactical Services Unit. They are:
- Sgt. Matthew Tarricone of the St. Johnsbury Barracks. He joined the state police in January 2012 and was promoted to sergeant in July 2017.
- Trooper Neil Carey, who is assigned to VSP Headquarters, Special Investigations. He was hired in January 2014 and assigned as a trooper to the Williston Barracks before transferring to Special Investigations in 2016. His photograph is unavailable.
Sgt. Matthew Tarricone
The investigation is continuing into the officer-involved shooting, which occurred at about 8 p.m. Saturday, May 11, 2019, at 920 Gage Road in the town of Tunbridge, a home belonging to a friend of Jeremy Potwin. Mr. Potwin lived in a nearby house, 896 Gage Road in Royalton. The number of times the troopers fired and the number of rounds that struck Mr. Potwin is part of the ongoing inquiry. The Vermont State Police’s Crime Scene Search Team remains on Gage Road today collecting evidence and processing the scene. The Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington was to perform an autopsy Monday on Mr. Potwin.
At the time he emerged from the home, Mr. Potwin was holding a woman hostage and was armed with two handguns, a Taurus Raging Judge revolver and a Ruger SR 1911 semi-automatic pistol. A photo of the firearms is attached to this release.
At the time of the standoff, Mr. Potwin was being sought on two pending arrest warrants and for questioning in connection with a number of crimes, including a series of arson fires in Tunbridge. The investigation is ongoing into the arsons and Mr. Potwin’s potential link to them.
No further information is currently available.
***Update No. 1, 12:55 a.m. Sunday, May 13, 2019***
An officer-involved shooting has followed an extensive manhunt for Jeremy Potwin, the armed and dangerous suspect in an escalating series of crimes over the past several weeks. Mr. Potwin died following the shooting. No one else, including a hostage Mr. Potwin was holding at the time, was injured in the incident.
Preliminary investigation indicates that on Saturday, May 11, 2019, members of the Vermont State Police through their investigation learned Mr. Potwin was at a home on Gage Road in Tunbridge. The state police Tactical Services Unit and Crisis Negotiation Unit responded to the scene. Police learned that Mr. Potwin was in the home with a woman he knew. The Crisis Negotiation Unit began a protracted attempt to encourage Mr. Potwin to surrender peacefully, although he fired multiple shots out of the home during the negotiation. After several hours, Mr. Potwin emerged from the home Saturday evening carrying two handguns and holding the woman hostage. When he pointed a weapon in the direction of the state police’s Tactical Services Unit, he was engaged by two troopers who fired their patrol rifles, and Mr. Potwin was struck.
Personnel immediately provided first aid to Mr. Potwin, but he was pronounced dead at Gifford Medical Center in Randolph. The hostage is being evaluated at the hospital for precautionary reasons. No members of the state police were injured during the encounter.
The investigation into this incident is in its earliest stages and currently involves the state police’s Major Crime Unit, Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Crime Scene Search Team. State police was assisted by the FBI during the search, which had been ongoing throughout the week.
The names of the troopers are being withheld per standard Vermont State Police policy as the investigation remains in its early stages. Per policy, the troopers involved will be placed on paid administrative leave for a minimum of five days, after which the troopers will return to administrative duty while the investigation is under review by the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the Orange County State’s Attorney’s Office.
No further updates are available at this time. More information will be released as the investigation proceeds.
***Initial news release, 3:20 p.m. Saturday, May 11, 2019***
The Vermont State Police is alerting the public about a potentially dangerous individual and asking for tips to help locate the man.
Jeremy Potwin, 39, of Bethel is wanted on two arrest warrants — violation of conditions of release, and escape from Probation & Parole — arising from his conviction in 2018 for leaving the scene of a 2017 motor vehicle crash with death resulting in South Royalton. Mr. Potwin also is wanted for questioning in connection with a vehicle pursuit with the Vermont State Police on Friday, May 3, and with an aggravated assault and kidnapping that occurred Thursday, May 9, in Braintree in which he is suspected of assaulting a male associate and discharging a firearm. No one was seriously injured.
Mr. Potwin is described as a white man, standing about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 180 pounds, with green eyes and red hair.
Members of the public should consider Mr. Potwin armed and dangerous. Anyone who encounters him should not approach him and instead immediately call 911 or the Vermont State Police in Royalton at 802-234-9933.
State police also are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a vehicle Mr. Potwin may be driving, a 2005 black Ford Ranger pick-up truck with Vermont license plate 351A792.
Updates will be issued when more information is available.