Vermont State Police investigating officer-involved shooting in Ludlow
LUDLOW, Vt. (WCAX) - An officer-involved shooting in Ludlow has left a Cavendish man in critical condition.
Police say Michael Mills, 35, of Cavendish, had been making threats and suicidal statements before he was shot.
Monday night, a member of the Ludlow Police Department shot Mills, after Mills rammed a cruiser and led offers on a pursuit that ended on South Hill Road when Mills crashed into a tree.
Police say Mills had a handgun in his car, however, it was not fired.
A Ludlow officer did discharge his weapon, shooting Mills in the head.
Mills was last listed in critical condition.
This is the third officer-involved shooting in Vermont in the last 30 days: one in West Brattleboro, one over the weekend in Burlington, and now this one in Ludlow.
Saturday, David Johnson, 20, was shot in the leg by Burlington police officers after he allegedly charged at them with a knife.
And last month, a Massachusetts man wanted in connection with a homicide in Brattleboro was shot and killed by police in the woods in West Brattleboro.
Some say the incidents highlight the need for more dialog between the police and the communities they serve.
“There are a lot of demands on the police and we want to make sure that their policies and practices and the training that they receive are all in line with the values of our own communities,” said Debbie Ingram of Vermont Interfaith Action. “What ideas they use to try to talk to perpetrators of crime and control the situation. How they treat people of different races. But also, what they go through. What are the challenges that they face?”
Ingram is a former state senator and current executive director of Vermont Interfaith Action, a faith-based community organizing group that advocates for systemic change on social justice issues- including policing.
Ingram says it’s not about placing blame, but rather listening to both sides and working together to solve problems.
Both officers involved in the Ludlow shooting are on leave as is protocol.
Vermont State Police are investigating all three officer-involved shootings.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to state police in Westminster at 802-722-4600 or leave an anonymous tip online at http://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
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