St. Albans Town, Vermont - November 24, 2005
"Any type of tragedy around the holiday is particularly tragic,"
says Vt. State Police Lt. Brian Miller.
Police say the tragedy unfolded last night after Regine Lussier,
60, was found dead in the cab of his tractor. It was about 150 yards
behind his dairy farm on the Middle Road. The lifelong farmer had been
shot once.
"He had been hunting in the field as he does, I guess routinely,
(Wednesday) afternoon, hunting from his tractor. And when he didn't
come home (Wednesday) night, some friends went out and did find him
deceased in the tractor," Miller explained.
Police were uncertain if the shooting was an accident or a crime
until they were contacted by four local hunters who had learned of
Lussier's death on the eleven o'clock news Wednesday. Then, it became
apparent it was a hunting accident.
"(Thursday) morning we had some folks come forward that had been
hunting in that field and were shooting in the direction of where Mr.
Lussier was hunting seated in his tractor," said Miller.
Sources close to the investigation tell us that the police have
already determined who fired the fatal shot. The name could be
released within a day or two. But it's unclear if any criminal charges
will be filed. Meanwhile, Regine Lussier's family and many friends
gathered at his home on a day that turned Thanksgiving into a day of
mourning.
Brian Joyce - Channel 3 News
Fair Use Notice: This document may contain copyrighted material
whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owners. We believe
that this not-for-profit, educational use on the Web constitutes
a fair use of the copyrighted material (as provided for in section
107 of the US Copyright Law). If you wish to use this copyrighted
material for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must
obtain permission from the copyright owner.