Bullet goes through reporter's window in Winooski

Burlington Free Press

Winooski police are looking for information after a bullet entered through the window of a local reporter's apartment.

A bullet entered the Winooski apartment of reporter Jack Thurston the night of Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017, through a window, shown here.

Jack Thurston, who reports for New England Cable News and NBC Boston and works out of Colchester, said he was getting ready for bed around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night when he heard an "incredibly loud sound."

"I knew immediately what it was," Thurston said Thursday. "I knew it was a gunshot."

Thurston, who was uninjured, said minutes later he found a hole in the window of his Union Street apartment and a bullet lodged in a box he uses to store Christmas decorations. He said he was a little more than 10 feet away from where the bullet came through. Winooski Police Chief Rick Hebert said the bullet was an old-style lead bullet, which is not manufactured anymore.

RELATED COVERAGE:

Thurston said the police arrived within minutes of his call. Police are still investigating the incident and are searching for information to determine who fired the bullet. Thurston agreed to speak to the Burlington Free Press on Thursday about the incident to encourage those who may have seen or heard anything to come forward "in the interest of public safety in a densely-populated city."

Winooski police on Aug. 3, 2017. measure the trajectory of a bullet that entered reporter Jack Thurston's apartment earlier in the week.

Both Hebert and Thurston said they do not believe Thurston was targeted.

"I didn't get a good night's sleep Tuesday night, I'll tell you that," Thurston said. "But, I'm just feeling exceptionally grateful."

Thurston added that after 15 years of living in Winooski, "this is not going to change my opinion of Winooski."

Jack Thurston, a reporter for NBCUniversal out of Colchester, speaks on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017 about an incident earlier in the week where a bullet came through the window of his Winooski apartment.

"This was just an unfortunate fluke incident," he said. "I certainly hope the police can figure out where it came from. We clearly don't want bullets flying into occupied homes anywhere in Vermont."

Hebert urged those with information about the incident to contact the Winooski Police Department at 655-0221.

"We have no reason to believe that somebody purposefully did this, but until we know that for sure, we're going to treat it as suspicious," Hebert said.

A wire placed on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017, shows the trajectory of a bullet that entered reporter Jack Thurston's apartment in Winooski earlier in the week.

Contact Elizabeth Murray at 651-4835 or emurray@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LizMurrayBFP.