Burlington, Vermont Police are investigating the city’s most violent and deadly shooting incident so far this year.
In the early morning hours Monday Burlington Police dispatchers received calls that there were numerous gunshots at an apartment on North Winooski Avenue. Acting Police Chief Jon Murad says 27-year-old Mikal Dixon, the alleged shooter from New Hampshire, and 22-year-old Kayla Noonan of New Jersey died. Noonan was a current UVM student and the college says Dixon was formerly enrolled.
Another 22-year-old woman who is not being identified and is being referred to as C-R was critically injured. It is not clear if C-R third person has ties to UVM.
“We believe that Mr. Dixon attempted to break down a door,” Murad said. “He was unable to get through that door and broke through a window instead and he possessed an AR-15 rifle at the time. He shot and killed Miss Noonan. He shot and wounded CR and then he shot and killed himself.”
Chief Murad then described what happened when officers arrived on scene.
“Officers were actually at the door able to speak with the living victim while that victim was also on the phone with our dispatch. Officers were not able to gain immediate entry into the location. They attempted to do so by force and ultimately had to break a window in a door in order to open that door," described Murad. "Inside they observed Mr. Dixon and Ms. Noonan dead. They observed that C-R was alive but very close to death and members of the Burlington Police Department and the Burlington Fire Department saved C-R’s life.”
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, who said Dixon had attended Burlington High School, offered condolences to the victims’ families and friends.
“This murder and attempted murder of two young women was a terrible act of violence, among the very worst the city has seen in the last decade. The lives of these three families has been forever changed by this tragedy. The UVM community will also greatly be impacted by it," noted Weinberger. "This incident is another awful reminder that Burlington is not immune to the steep increases in gun violence the country is experiencing and that as a result of our disastrous gun laws Americans are vastly more likely to endure a terrible tragedy like this.”
Monday afternoon University of Vermont President Suresh Garimella notified the campus of the deaths, writing “My thoughts are with everyone impacted by this tragedy, especially families and other loved ones.” He noted that counseling and support services are available for student and staff.
Vice Provost for Student Affairs Erica Caloiera says their priority is the safety and well-being of students and the campus community and they are making all support services available.
“Our community is reeling from the shock of this tragedy. It will take some time for us to process and grieve this tremendous loss. And our hearts go out to the families and the loved ones of the students involved.”
Chief Murad did not say domestic violence was a motive, but investigators believe that Noonan and Dixon had a relationship going back several years.
“We know that there are previous instances in which we’ve interacted with both parties, with all three parties. You know the nature of the relationship isn’t exactly clear at the moment. It’s something that will be part of the investigation going forward.”
The weapon has been referred to as an AR-15 but Murad clarified it is a modified version of the rifle.
“It is what we would call a short-barrel rifle. We have seen this kind of weapon before. It is unusual however and certainly in an incident like this it is not something that we normally see. But the end result is the same as it is for other kinds of gunfire incidents which is that guns do damage when they are shot into people.”
Murad added that the investigation will determine if Dixon legally owned the gun, noting that he had been arrested for low level crimes such as retail theft and trespass.
“To our knowledge he is eligible to purchase that weapon. I did not see any arrests for more serious kinds of crimes. But I believe there may have been restraining orders in his past as well. Those can be prohibitory but we don’t believe any of those were in effect.”
This was Burlington’s 18th gunfire incident of the year and the second resulting in deaths.
