ST. JOHNSBURY – Vermont State Police said they took Scott Mason into custody early Sunday morning in the house next door to where the shooting took place. In the end, Scott Mason didn’t make it very far.
The suspect in the Friday shooting of a St. Johnsbury police officer was arrested in the house next door to where the crime took place, according to Vermont State Police.
After obtaining a search warrant earlier that morning, state police and other law enforcement agencies entered 251 Portland Street and took Mason into custody around 2 a.m., state police said in a press release. He was brought to the local barracks for processing, after which he was expected to be transferred to jail.
Mason, 38, of St. Johnsbury, was wanted for attempted second-degree murder and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer resulting in serious bodily injury, along with other charges unrelated to the shooting.
The incident began around 4:30 p.m. Friday when local police responded to a report of domestic violence at Mason’s apartment, at 261 Portland Street, state police have previously said. Mason allegedly shot and wounded Capt. Jason Gray, a nearly 25-year veteran of the St. Johnsbury Police Department.
Authorities have not described what happened next, but after appearing to focus on the Portland Street area Friday night, they expanded their search by asking law enforcement agencies throughout the state and region to look out for Mason and warning members of the public that he could be armed and dangerous.
The town of St. Johnsbury and the FBI’s Albany field office on Saturday announced separate rewards of up to $25,000 for information leading to Mason’s arrest and conviction.
Gray, who had been airlifted Friday to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., “sustained severe injuries” in the shooting, according to a statement issued by the town, but was in stable condition as of Saturday evening.
The town said in the statement that it had “him, his family and friends in our hearts as he recovers from this assault.” It continued, “We are also thinking of the rest of the police department as well as our dispatchers and first responders who have been affected by this traumatic event. We are committed to supporting all efforts to provide them the support they need to recover.”
