Prosecutor Who Disarmed Shooter Stops Carrying Gun to Work

[Valin]

ABC/AP:

lisa rathke, associated press

BARRE, Vt. — Jan 18, 2017

 

The Vermont prosecutor who disarmed the suspect in a fatal shooting of a social worker said Wednesday he is no longer carrying a gun to work following a newspaper report that some courthouse workers were concerned.

 

State's Attorney Scott Williams said that while he believes that as a law enforcement officer he has the authority to carry a gun to work, he decided to stop doing so after learning from a Times Argus report that some courthouse workers were concerned about public safety.

 

"I don't want people uncomfortable because of me," he said.

 

John Campbell, executive director of the Vermont Department of State's Attorneys and Sheriffs, asked the state attorney general to review the Vermont law. He said his understanding is that only a public law enforcement officer who has received certification through the Criminal Justice Training Council may carry a firearm in a state building.

 

Williams grabbed a rifle away from Jody Herring after she shot Lara Sobel outside a state office building in August 2015, authorities said. Herring, who authorities say was upset about losing custody of her daughter, has been charged with Sobel's death and the slayings of three relatives. The case against her is pending.

 

Williams said the offices in the courthouse building — including the Department for Children and Families — get monthly threats such as by phone or social media but most of them are not serious.

 

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