BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) - No charges are warranted against two law enforcement officers who shot and killed a drug suspect during a raid on his Burlington apartment last month, the county prosecutor and the state attorney general’s office said Thursday.
Chittenden County State’s Attorney T.J. Donovan said the state trooper and the federal agent fired their weapons after the suspect, Kenneth Stephens, pointed a muzzle-loading rifle at them. Stephens’ weapon was loaded but was incapable of firing, he said.
Separately, the attorney general’s office released the results of its own report that said that state police Detective Matthew Cannon and Drug Enforcement Administration Agent Timothy Hoffmann met the legal standard for the use of deadly force when they killed Stephens, a 56-year-old with a long criminal history.
Investigators said that when law enforcement officers were breaking down the door to Stephens’ apartment under the authority of a federal “no knock” warrant, he yelled “come on, hit it” and “hit it harder.” The attorney general’s report says Cannon heard Stephens say, “Who wants to die?” - and saw him aiming a large rifle at officers.
Cannon and Hoffmann fired 13 bullets between them, with seven hitting Stephens. Bullet holes were found in a neighboring house, but no one else was injured.
In a search of the apartment, DEA agents found 260 bags of heroin ready for sale, authorities said.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.