Garvey family urges Vermont House Judiciary to act after son shot during mental‑health crisis

Judy and Sean Garvey told the Vermont House Judiciary Committee on Jan. 14 that their son, Scott Joseph Garvey, 55, was shot and killed by Vermont State Police on July 7, 2025 while in the midst of a mental‑health crisis. Judy Garvey said Scott was "unarmed and alone" and had reached out dozens of times for help before officers entered his Putney apartment.

The family said the state coroner has ruled Scott's death a homicide and cited multiple failures in the response that day. "They were a failure of those when we reached out for help to follow the policies meant to safeguard those suffering a mental‑health crisis," Judy Garvey said, adding that the Vermont State Police did not follow directives she said had been developed over 10 years.

Why it matters: The Garveys urged lawmakers to consider changes to how police and mental‑health professionals respond to crises, arguing the present system risks avoidable deaths. Sean Garvey told the committee the family had lost confidence in an internal investigation and asked the committee to press for outside review and policy change.

The family described specific operational complaints and alleged consequences: Sean Garvey said troopers gathered outside the apartment for hours, then sent a relatively inexperienced trooper into the home with a firearm; the trooper, he said, believed there was a rifle but no firearm was found. "As he lay on the floor of his home, bleeding out for 47 minutes," Sean said, recounting his brother's final minutes. The family also said they were told by state personnel that Scott's cremated remains would not be released without a $2,000 payment and that they later faced bills for cleanup and moving because they could not return to the damaged home.

The Garveys raised concerns about victim‑services procedures when the alleged perpetrator is the State and questioned whether the State Police could objectively handle both the investigation and victim support. Sean also said the family contacted political leaders repeatedly and received little response until Representative Bosman intervened on their behalf.

Committee response and next steps: A committee member said the panel would seek information from the attorney general's office about the status of its investigation and noted that related legislation the family referenced will be considered later in the session. The committee chair stated the committee will meet after the floor the following day and likely discuss a bill cited in testimony (referred to in the transcript as "H5") and possibly hold a vote.

What the family wants: The Garveys submitted a list of detailed recommendations (filed with their testimony and made available on a website, according to their remarks) and said many of the recommendations are included in the legislation the committee will consider. They asked legislators to adopt reforms to ensure nonlethal responses and clearer coordination with mental‑health professionals when people are in crisis.

The attorney general's office and Vermont State Police were referenced repeatedly at the hearing as parties with responsibility for investigating and responding to the incident; the committee did not announce a final decision or vote during the hearing. The family offered to return to testify when the bill is taken up.

The committee did not vote on any measures during the testimony; it scheduled further consideration of the cited legislation and said it would seek an update from the attorney general's office on the investigation.