Burlington man wanted for attempted murder

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - A man wanted for attempted murder in Burlington is at large.

Burlington police say they’re searching for Bonide Wilondja “Will” Badibanga, 20, of Burlington.

They say he shot and injured a family member at about 11:15 p.m. Friday, then fled the home on St. Louis Street where it happened. Police say he discharged the firearm multiple times inside the residence.

The family member’s injuries were not life-threatening, and they were treated at the scene. Two days after the incident, police still haven’t found Badibanga.

“With the way that the weather is, I only have three officers on right now. So, we have to prioritize what we can at the time. If we get a tip as to where he may be, we’ll regroup and come up with a plan. But at this time we don’t have any known whereabouts of where he is,” said Sgt. Michael Henry.

The department says Badibanga has a lengthy criminal history, including assault and weapons-related charges extending to when he was a juvenile. In 2021, Badibanga had encounters with police 24 times, resulting in five arrests for stolen vehicle, burglary, and violation of conditions of release charges. In 2020, Badibanga had 47 police contacts resulting in 11 arrests.

Acting Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad says the New Year’s Eve shooting marks the 14th gunfire incident in the Queen City in 2021. In 2020, he says there were a dozen. Between 2012 and 2019, Murad says Burlington only saw an average of two gunfire incidents a year. He writes in a statement, “As far as we know from past tracking, this is an awful new record for a city that usually sees two such incidents per year.”

Call Burlington Police Det. Cpl. Moyer at (802) 658-2704 if you have information on Badibanga’s whereabouts.

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