Police arrest Burlington man in connection to recent shootings

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - A Burlington man pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of second-degree attempted murder in connection to a double shooting on August 13th.

Police say Abukar Hilowle, 19, of Burlington was arrested Wednesday. The shooting happened just before 1:30 a.m. Saturday on Main Street, between Church and Saint Paul Streets. Two men were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

Burlington Police investigate early morning shooting(Wayne Savage)

Police on Thursday also said Hilowle is the man who fired a shot inside a car in the Market 32 parking lot on Shelburne Road two days prior to the Main Street incident. They say he fired from the back seat of the car, hitting the driver and forcing them to crash the car. Police say that shooting was not intentional and that he was being reckless with a loaded gun. Hilowle Thursday pleaded not guilty to aggravated assault and reckless endangerment for that shooting.

Police investigating a bad crash after shots fired.(Courtesy: Eric Lessard)

The August 13 shooting prompted acting Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad to request additional State Police coverage on the streets of Burlington. It also led to Gov. Phil Scott releasing a 10-point action plan to improve safety and hire more police. Since then, there have been at least two other downtown shootings, bringing the number of Burlington shootings this year to 22.