Two shootings over the weekend at opposite ends of the Upper Valley both involved parties who knew each other and both sparked by arguments which ended in one of the parties firing a gun.
Early Sunday morning, Vermont troopers responded to a report of a man with a gunshot wound at a residence on Halfway Brook Road in Brookfield, Vt., Vermont State Police said in a news release.
The wounded man, who police later identified as Joshua Demar, 37, of South Royalton, was transported to University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington for treatment overnight and was expected to be released on Monday, police said.
Police identified Jarek Duggins, 24, of Northfield, as the individual who allegedly fired his gun.
Demar and Duggins knew each other, according to police, who noted the investigation “indicates there was physical altercation between the subjects instigated by Demar prior to the shooting.”
Once the investigation is complete, the case will be reviewed by the Orange County State’s Attorney’s Office to determine whether any charges will be filed, state police said.
Neither Demar nor Duggins could be reached for comment on Monday.
“They apparently knew each other and got into a heated argument,” said Dan Mason, constable for the town of Brookfield, who was away for the weekend and just catching up on the news and did not know the reason why either individual was in Brookfield on Sunday when the incident occurred.
Later on Sunday afternoon, New Hampshire troopers said they responded to a report of a man who had fired a handgun inside his home on Williams Hill Road in Grafton.
The man, identified as Peter Mancini, “discharged a handgun inside his residence after an argument,” New Hampshire State Police said in a news release, adding no one was struck by gunfire and two women “who were inside of the residence were able to safely leave.”
When police arrived at the scene, Mancini, 44, came outside the house and was “taken into custody without incident” and transported to Grafton County House of Corrections in North Haverhill where he was booked on felony charges of reckless conduct, criminal threatening and criminal mischief.
He was being held on preventive detention and scheduled for arraignment in Grafton County Superior Court on Monday, according to state police.
Contact John Lippman at jlippman@vnews.com.
