Burlington Area Man Shot; Officer Placed On Paid Leave
By Michael Donoghue - Vermont News First
A Burlington area man, who is on federal probation for illegal gun possession, was involved in a day-long standoff with Burlington Police before he was shot on Sunday night, officials said.
The incident ended with Aaron Loucks, believed to be 31, being wounded by a Burlington Police officer at the Riverside Avenue scene late Sunday, officials said.
Vermont State Police have been called in to investigate the officer-involved shooting.
The name of the Burlington Police officer has not been released by city or state police. State police said they expect to release it 24 hours after the shooting.
The officer has been placed on paid administrative leave by the Burlington Police, state police said.
Burlington Police were mum for much of Sunday during the standoff and even after the shooting. They declined to say if the man had been killed or wounded.
Vermont News First learned Loucks had been wounded and State Police eventually confirmed shortly before 11 a.m. Monday that he was being treated.
His federal gun case began to unfold after Loucks, who had been living in Shelburne and Charlotte, had made COVID-19 vaccine related threats in late 2020, court records show.
Independent videographer Wayne Savage said Burlington Police had the area blocked off with yellow crime tape on Sunday as police snipers had taken positions and drones were being used to survey the area.
Burlington officers had helped evacuate nearby buildings on Sunday, Savage said. He said the officers tried to communicate with the barricaded man using a bull horn speaker initially and later broke a window to throw in a phone with a direct connection to police.
The incident began when Burlington Police responded to an unknown disturbance near 700 Riverside Avenue about 7:30 am. Sunday.
"This response developed into a prolonged encounter that lasted throughout the day and into the evening," State police spokesman Rich Kelley said in an email.
Both the Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit and the Crime Scene Search Team responded, he said.
Some nearby residents were still not allowed to return to their homes on Monday, Savage said.
When the investigation is completed, the case will be turned over to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and to a State’s Attorney’s Office for independent reviews of the use of force, Kelley said.
Loucks was sentenced in February 2022 for a felony charge of possessing a 9-mm semiautomatic pistol in December 2020 while being a known user of controlled substances, records note.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated him after he made possible threats toward the distribution process for the COVID-19 vaccine shots in Vermont, federal court records show.
Loucks, who had lived in both Shelburne and Charlotte, had pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to the gun charge, records show.
Then-Chief Federal Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford accepted a plea bargain that called for Loucks to be placed on federal probation 5 years with mental health treatment as one of the terms of the deal.
Loucks also had to seek substance abuse treatment and testing, Crawford ruled. The judge also imposed a $100 court surcharge for the case and told Loucks that he could not commit any new crimes while on federal probation.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the arrest came after working with Burlington, South Burlington and Shelburne Police, along with conversations with members of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Vermont Intelligence Center, and the U.S. Marshals Service, which is the federal agency responsible for security of vaccine distribution efforts.
Loucks, who was initially arrested in January 2021, spent about 4 months in federal custody.
A judge ruled in April 2021 that Loucks, after a mental examination, was competent to stand trial in federal court for the gun charge. The mental exam report was filed under seal with the court preventing the public from better understanding the threat and gun cases.
After Crawford ruled Loucks was competent to stand trial he was released in May 2021 under home detention and told to refrain from any alcohol. Loucks also had been ordered to avoid any potential witnesses, except for his father Timothy Loucks and stepmother Lisa Myers.
The case began as an investigation late in 2020 that Loucks had said he had serious concerns about the distribution of vaccine shots for COVID-19, according to the ATF.
ATF Special Agent Eric Brimo said in court papers one source advised in December 2020 that Loucks was under the belief the government and the "deep state" were after him and he made mention that he believed the COVID-19 screening precautions were a part of the government conspiracy to gain control over the population.
Brimo said investigators seized several notes from Loucks as part of the joint investigation. One note listed tactics and strategies, and others listed hospital locations, pharmacies, prisons, long-term care, primary care, EMTs, nurses, doctors, colleges, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, court records show.
One note indicated "Vaccine Deceivers:" with "Pfizer/Moderna," "US Postal Service" and "Police Force" listed below, Brimo wrote.
Authorities credited the public with bringing Loucks’ psychological struggles to the attention of law enforcement. They were concerned Loucks had deteriorating mental status, was involved in violent incidents, and had desires to obtain firearms, Brimo said.
Some sources of information for the Howard Center indicated Loucks could be violent particularly when using controlled substances, Brimo said. Court records showed from Dec. 15, 2020 that Loucks had used LSD in the previous two weeks.
Chittenden County law enforcement agencies responded to a residence in Shelburne on Dec. 16 after a Warrant for Emergency Examination was filed for Loucks. Law enforcement had received information that Loucks, who might be armed, was reportedly en route to the residence of a person that had provided information to police as part of the case, records show.
Shelburne Police sent an urgent request to area police for help. Officers identified Loucks as the sole person in the vehicle when he arrived at the residence. He admitted he had a firearm, and police later found a Taurus 9-mm semi-automatic pistol inside the car after he exited it, records show.
A trace showed Loucks purchased the semi-automatic from M&R Guns & Ammo in Highgate on Dec. 13, 2020, three days before it was recovered by Shelburne Police, the ATF said.
Brimo said investigators also seized a Colt Model M4 Carbine, 5.56 caliber AR-style rifle on Nov. 30, 2020 along with ammunition and several firearm accessories. It was purchased at the Powderhorn Outdoor Sports in Williston, the ATF determined.