Vermont shooting leaves New York man dead

RUTLAND, Vt. (WCAX) - Police in Vermont say a New York man is dead following a weekend shooting in Rutland.

Rutland City Police say it happened on Cherry Street.

“I looked out the window, saw that there was a guy coming down the stairs on his belly,” Rutland resident Marc Machain said.

Machain says he was watching TV with his wife Saturday afternoon when they heard a commotion coming from outside. He says he heard someone screaming for help and ran across the street.

“I went to help the guy and he was bleeding profusely from the bicep, lo and behold, he was shot in the bicep and he was shot in the chest from as far as I could tell,” said Machain.

Police were called out to the scene. When they got there, they found that Santonieo Miller, 35, of Albany, New York, had been shot dead in an apartment located at 50 Cherry Street. Police say Miller was shot multiple times and the shooting was the result of a physical altercation.

“They were kicking the man and smacking him and punching him,” said Machain.

Those who live nearby say the incident was scary to see. Rutland resident Pat Cioffi has lived in Rutland for decades and says this isn’t the place he remembers it to be. He says things used to be quiet there. But he and other residents say they are not surprised it happened.

“I wasn’t surprised. Something was going to happen,” said Cioffi.

“The noises and the commotion and everything else, it happens. So, am I shocked? No, I’m not shocked. Am I amazed? Oh, definitely,” said Machain.

Even though the shooting left neighbors shaken up, police say they believe it was an isolated incident and there’s no further threat to the community.

The Rutland City Police Department’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, along with the Vermont State Police Crime Scene Search Team are leading the investigation into what happened.

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