BURLINGTON, Vt. -
A man walking down Intervale Avenue near Crombie Street was held up Friday night by two men Burlington police say. One of them displayed a gun.
"I just heard some bangs outside. It sounded like it could be gunshots," Zach Hirsch said, who lives nearby.
Saturday police were telling residents just what happened. The victim, who has yet to be identified by police, was shot in his torso and his assailants made off with some of his belongings. The victim was taken to Fletcher Allen and was discharged four hours later. Police arrived at the scene shortly after being notified of the assault but the two men were gone, last seen headed south on Intervale Avenue.
"The individuals involved certainly had a few minutes to make their way away from the scene," Lieutenant Bruce Bovat said.
Only fragments remain from the crime scene on Interval Avenue Friday night but it wasn't even at the scene of the crime that the victim called police for help after he was shot.
"Anywhere from ten to fifteen minutes after the incident occurred the individual who was robbed and injured called 911," Lt. Bovat said.
The victim walked to someone else's house before calling police since to those nearby it wasn't obvious what happened.
"I was kind of in disbelief I didn't know gun shots could be that soft. Or they didn't sound loud enough to be gun shots," Hirsch said.
Police say the victim handled the situation correctly by handing over his belongings which is what anyone should do when in that situation.
"Give em your belongings. That stuff can be replaced but your life certainly can't," Lt. Bovat said.
The suspects, who remain armed and considered dangerous, were last seen headed south on Intervale Avenue.
The first suspect is described as a black male, 5'8, in his early 20s, wearing denim jeans that had a stitched zigzag type pattern on the back pocket and a puffy jacket that was brown on the top and navy on the bottom.
The second suspect is described as a black male in his early 20s , wearing a checkered hooded sweatshirt.
