FAIR HAVEN, Vermont (Tuesday, June 20, 2023) — The Vermont State Police is continuing to investigate the fatal shooting of a man by a Fair Haven police officer that occurred Monday evening on Washington Street.
Detectives have spoken with witnesses and reviewed bystander video of the incident; the Fair Haven Police Department is not equipped with body-worn cameras or cruiser cameras. The Crime Scene Search Team processed the location of the shooting, centered on a vehicle outside a residence at 26 Washington St.; completed its work Tuesday afternoon; and released the scene. The Fair Haven Police Department is cooperating with the VSP investigation.
The man who was shot and killed is identified as Kenneth Barber Jr., 38, of Castleton.
The officer is Detective Shaun Hewitt, who has served with the Fair Haven department since 1998 after beginning his police career with the Rutland County Sheriff’s Department in 1991 and subsequently working for the Brandon Police Department. In Fair Haven, Hewitt acts as the department’s firearms instructor.
Initial investigation by the Vermont State Police indicates the incident began shortly after 7:30 p.m. Monday when Barber left the residence at 26 Washington St. while armed with a handgun. Barber engaged in a dispute with several residents of 28 Washington St., who ultimately were able to restrain him and separate him from the gun. Hewitt arrived on scene in response to emergency calls about the ongoing fight. Barber subsequently broke free, managed to access a vehicle and attempted to drive away, at which point he struck Hewitt with the car. Hewitt fired his service weapon one time, hitting Barber.
An autopsy was completed Tuesday, June 20, 2023, at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington. The cause of Barber’s death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the torso, and the manner of death was classified as a homicide.
State police continue to investigate this incident. Anyone with relevant information is asked to call the Rutland Barracks at 802-773-9101 or leave an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/
VSP will continue providing updates on this case as the investigation proceeds.
Detective Shaun Hewitt, Fair Haven PD
***Update No. 1, 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 20, 2023***
Maj. Dan Trudeau, commander of the Vermont State Police Criminal Division, will be available to speak to members of the news media about this investigation at 1:45 p.m. today at the VSP barracks in Rutland, 124 State Place.
The investigation remains ongoing, and VSP will share updated information as the case proceeds.
***Initial news release, 10:25 p.m. Monday, June 19, 2023***
The Vermont State Police is investigating a fatal shooting by an officer with the Fair Haven Police Department that occurred Monday evening, June 19, 2023, in the town of Fair Haven.
The shooting occurred at about 7:40 p.m. Monday at a residence on Washington Street when a Fair Haven officer responded to a report of an ongoing altercation. Preliminary information indicates that when the police officer arrived, an altercation occurred between the officer and a man outside the home. The officer subsequently fired his department-issued handgun, striking the man. He was transported to Rutland Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The Vermont State Police is leading the investigation into the police shooting, as is standard practice in Vermont.
This investigation is in its earliest stages. Detectives with the Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit and Bureau of Criminal Investigations, along with troopers from the Field Force Division and members of the Victim Services Unit, are responding to the scene and working on the case. The Fair Haven Police Department is providing assistance.
The Vermont State Police Crime Scene Search Team is expected to be on site Tuesday morning to process the location where the incident occurred.
As is standard practice, the Fair Haven officer will be identified within 24 hours following the shooting.
When the Vermont State Police investigation into this incident is complete, the case will be turned over per standard protocol to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the relevant State’s Attorney’s Office for independent reviews of the use of force.
Police ask that anyone with information that might assist investigators call the Rutland Barracks at 802-773-9101 or leave an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/
No additional information is available. VSP will provide updates throughout the investigation.
