A 21-year-old man has died after he was shot in the head in a Burlington neighborhood, police said Friday.
The shooting took place at about 7:40 p.m. Thursday in a part of the city known as the Old North End. The victim was identified as 21-year-old city resident Hussein Mubarak.
No suspects are in custody, but police say it is believed the parties knew each other and the shooting was not random. Investigators, including police dogs and a drone, searched a wooded area off Intervale for the shooter but did not find a suspect.
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Last month, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, city police and the county prosecutor said reducing gunfire incidents in Vermont’s largest city was a top priority.
At the time city officials said there had been nearly 40 gunfire incidents in the city since the beginning of 2020. Previously the city averaged about two a year.
The latest shooting occurred not far from where a former city councilor was slightly wounded last month while sitting outside his home.
The mayor also outlined plans to rebuild the city police force to its authorized headcount of 87 officers. As of last fall the city had fewer than 70 officers available for operations.
Police say it will take several years before the department will be able to field 87 officers.
