MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – A Vermont state trooper involved in a fatal shooting in Orange in June was justified in using deadly force, according to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office.
Authorities say Trooper Adam Roaldi shot and killed Jason Lowery, 41, on June 12. It happened after the Roaldi noticed Lowery — who appeared to be unconscious — in a car in a driveway off Spencer Street. They say Roaldi thought Lowery might be overdosing and called for an ambulance. After waking him up and ordering him out of the car, police say there was a struggle over a sawed-off shotgun. That’s when police say the trooper fired his service weapon several times, hitting Lowery in the neck and torso, killing him.
After the conclusion of their independent review, the AG’s office Wednesday said that Roaldi “reasonably believed that he was in imminent danger of being killed” and that he used necessary and appropriate force to defend himself.
Police say they later learned Lowery had an active arrest warrant for fentanyl trafficking and they found drug items in the car.
Trooper Roaldi has been on paid relief from duty since the shooting.