Adam Silverman

Free Press Staff Writer

A suspect is in custody and facing charges of murder and attempted murder following a confrontation that led to the shooting of two people Monday in Franklin County, the Vermont State Police said late Monday night.

One man was killed, and a second was left wounded and fighting for his life following the incident on Georgia Mountain Road in the town of Georgia, state police spokesman Scott Waterman said in a statement.

Ethan Gratton, 26, a resident of 732 Georgia Mountain Road, was in police custody late Monday and expected to face charges in the slaying of David Hill, 57, of Fairfax and wounding of Mark Brito, 27, of Fairfax.

"This investigation is in its early stages and crime scene processing will remain active overnight," Waterman said. "Major Crime Unit investigators are working closely with the Franklin County State’s Attorney’s Office for determination of criminal charges."

Police said later that Gratton was to be arraigned Tuesday morning on charges of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. He was jailed overnight for lack of $100,000 bail pending his appearance in Vermont Superior Court in St. Albans.

The confrontation began at about 1:50 p.m. when Gratton encountered a Kenworth truck with a lowboy flatbed trailer attached, stopped in the road facing west near the entrance to Gratton's driveway, Waterman said. The clash between the men "led to Gratton shooting both occupants of the truck in the roadway," Waterman said. "The circumstances surrounding this confrontation is still under investigation."

Police found the men following a 911 call about a shooting.

Brito was taken to Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans and then brought to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington with life-threatening injuries, Waterman said.

Hill was pronounced dead at the scene. His body was taken to the Chief Medical Examiner's Office in Burlington for an autopsy.

Gratton was brought to the state police barracks in St. Albans.

The incident occurred about a mile east of the Arrow Head Lake Road bridge over the Lamoille River on the dead-end Georgia Mountain Road.

The state police's Major Crime Unit was on the scene, among other responders. The unit's commander, Capt. J.P. Sinclair, did not immediately respond to phone and email messages seeking comment.

Police initially disclosed that an unspecified "incident" took place in the town of about 4,500 residents and noted that the road was closed as the investigation unfolded.

"All I can say about Georgia Mountain Road is we responded to an incident," Waterman told the Burlington Free Press at about 4:45 p.m. "Right now they are not characterizing it. They are trying to do their due diligence."

Georgia Mountain Road runs primarily east-west along the south bank of the Lamoille River, starting at the Arrow Head Lake Road bridge and continuing east-southeast until it dead-ends near the Fairfax town line.

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This story was first posted online on Jan. 2, 2017, and has been updated. Contributing: Nicole Higgins DeSmet of the Free Press, and Anthony Boccio.

Contact Adam Silverman at 660-1854 or asilverman@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @wej12.