A Vermont State Police investigation into the Nov. 6 death of 49-year-old Wayne Brunette of Burlington confirms he was killed by four gunshots to the torso.
Brunette was outside his family’s home in Burlington’s New North End brandishing a shovel, police said, when Burlington Police Cpl. Ethan Thibault shot and killed him.
The Vermont Office of the Chief Medical Examiner classified Brunette’s death as a homicide, though that is considered a medical definition (meaning Brunette was killed by another human), not a legal declaration of wrongdoing.
Thibault and Cpl. Brent Navari were the only police at the scene – having arrived less than three minutes earlier – when Thibault fired. Both were put on administrative leave immediately after the incident. Burlington Police said Monday that both officers will return to work Tuesday.
Burlington Police Chief Michael Schirling told Seven Days that investigators “don’t see any red flags” in the case.
Schirling was unavailable for an interview Monday afternoon.
