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RUTLAND – Vermont State Police say a man found dead after a car crash in Rutland Monday afternoon was shot before he lost control of the vehicle and was targeted.
The body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Burlington to determine whether it was an accident or a gunshot wound, Capt. Scott Dunlap, head of the state police’s Major Crimes Unit, said Tuesday morning.
“He was shot prior to the crash, so he was probably crushed as a result of the shooting,” Dunlap said, adding that no one was in the vehicle other than the driver.
Dunlap said police expect to release more information, including the identity of the deceased and the cause of death, after Tuesday’s autopsy.
No one is in custody in connection with the shooting, according to Dunlap.
Asked why police believe the man was targeted, Dunlap replied, “Just from the background information from the interviews we did. Obviously I can’t go into details. “
Police were notified of the crash at the intersection of State Street and Cleveland Avenue around 4:15 p.m. Monday, followed by a second call reporting shots fired in the area, according to a state police press release issued Monday evening.
Responding officers found a two-vehicle crash in which one of the drivers suffered a gunshot wound, Rutland City Police said in a press release Monday night. Officers treated the injured man, but he was pronounced dead at the scene by responding medical personnel, Rutland Police said.
No one in the second car was injured, police said.
A section of State Street remained closed to traffic late Tuesday morning as a law enforcement officer with a dog searched the area for evidence.
“They’re re-examining the area today for more evidence – during the day – that could be on the road,” Dunlap said.
He added that investigators are interviewing witnesses and taking video surveillance from the scene of the shooting.
Rutland City Police said in a press release that they “do not believe there is a major threat to the community” but encouraged residents to report “suspicious behavior.”
This story will be updated.
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