by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First, VermontBiz Correspondent
Two men are dead following a shooting at a residence on Decatur Street, in Burlington's Old North end -- one of two gunfire incidents reported Sunday night in the city of Burlington.
Both men were shot in the head. Their names were not released pending confirmation of their identities by Burlington Police and notification of their next of kin.
It was unclear if the shooting of the two men on Decatur Street was related to a shooting on Main Street about 75 minutes earlier.
It was shortly after clearing from the scene of the first shooting on Main Street that Burlington Fire and Rescue were both summoned about 9:15 p.m. to a residence on Decatur Street by Intervale Avenue. One preliminary report indicated it was a double overdose, but first responders arrived to find at least one adult had been seriously wounded, freelance news videographer Wayne Savage said.
Savage's video of the incident shows Burlington Fire and Rescue carrying one person to a gurney and it was lifted into the back of a Burlington Ambulance before it departed for UVM Medical Center.
The second person was not removed and there were indications at the scene about a death, but no confirmation immediately by officials.
Savage's video showed at least 5 Burlington Police vehicles at the scene, but no information was initially available Sunday night. Chief Jon Murad did not respond initially to a request for information and the BPD Public Information Officer only works weekdays.
About midnight, Murad did issue a prepared statement to confirm two men were dead: one person was dead at the scene and the person taken to the hospital also had died about 11 p.m.
Murad did not say if police were seeking anybody or if they thought they shot each other.
The Chittenden County Gun Violence Task Force, which was created earlier this summer by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, responded to help with the investigation.
Two BFD ambulances and at least one large fire truck were at the scene on Decatur Street, which runs between North Winooski Avenue and Intervale Avenue in the Old North End.
The first shooting of the night in Burlington happened near the Hilton Garden Inn at 101 Main Street just before 8 p.m., Savage reported.
There were no known injuries and no suspects taken into custody, but at least one shell casing was located at the scene, Savage said.
Burlington and University of Vermont Police responded to the area, which is about a block from Burlington's City Hall Park.
Savage said while first responders were dealing with those emergency calls, there was an unconfirmed report of a knifepoint robbery on North Avenue. No details were available from police.
Police said after the two shootings Sunday they have confirmed 13 reported gunfire incidents in the city that may involve criminal conduct this year. The statistic does not include other gun cases, including reports of shots being heard, but no solid evidence found by police.
Anybody with information about any shooting in the city is asked to call Burlington Police at (802) 658-2704.
