BRADFORD, Vt. — Employees at Copeland Furniture in Bradford were shocked last week when they learned that police shot a man to death in a sleepy residential neighborhood in Hartford Village.
Not because of the shooting itself as much as the man who was killed: 35-year-old Joseph John Howard, of Bradford, an employee at the furniture store for the last 10 months, who was known as “bright, cooperative,” and “well-liked by his peers,” said store owner Tim Copeland in a message to the Valley News this week.
“He was a good employee; he showed up regularly,” Copeland said, adding that supervisors and co-workers alike were all fond of Howard.
“His death, and the events surrounding it, were a shock to everybody here,” Copeland said.
Howard was killed Aug. 5 after a resident on Paula Street in Hartford Village called police to say a man he didn’t know — later identified as Howard — was acting erratically on his front lawn and refused to leave the property. When Hartford Police Cpl. Eric Clifford arrived at the scene around 1:30 p.m., Howard ignored his orders and instead ran at him, Vermont State Police said in a news release last week.
Clifford used his pepper spray but it didn’t deter Howard, and the two got into a physical altercation with Howard punching and choking the officer, according to state police. Clifford then fired his weapon, killing Howard, according to police.
Messages to Clifford and the Paula Street homeowner were not returned Friday.
An autopsy confirmed that Howard died from two gunshot wounds to the chest, the release said. Clifford was put on paid administrative leave following the shooting, and police were still investigating the incident Friday.
But as little is known about the events leading up to the shooting, almost less is known about Howard himself.
All throughout the Bradford’s Main Street corridor Friday, residents and business owners shook their heads when asked if they knew or ever saw Howard in the 2,700-person town.
Some, like Bradford Town Clerk Sonya McLam, said they believe he was staying at Veterans Inc., a nonprofit providing services for veterans and their families. The organization has an office on Main Street in Bradford, but an employee there declined to say whether Howard frequented the building, and calls to a spokeswoman for the organization were not returned.
Vermont State Police spokesman Adam Silverman said Howard had a Bradford address on his state-issued ID but declined to give more information on where Howard was living.
“He’s a mystery to us,” said Mark Johnson, who owns the Bliss Village Store and Deli on Main Street said Friday. Johnson, who took breaks from speaking to greet regulars at his long-standing business, explained that he knows that many people from Veterans Inc. come to his deli for food and coffee, but that he’s never seen Howard.
In the last week, however, he said, customers have talked frequently about the shooting, with many people similarly confused about the 35-year-old’s identity.
“People are wondering who this person was,” Johnson said.
The investigation is ongoing, and police are waiting for the results of Howard’s toxicology report.
Anna Merriman can be reached at amerriman@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.
Correction: This story has been corrected to say that the shooting of Joseph John Howard took place in Hartford Village. A previous version of this story gave an incorrect location.