Tense showdown over gag order continues in Saratoga Springs officer-involved shooting

Enhanced video shows the moments that led up to the officer-involved shooting in Saratoga Springs.

The attorney for the Rutland County, Vermont sheriff’s deputy involved in the shootout says he has also reviewed the city’s video.

Greg Teresi says it shows his client, Deputy Vito Caselnova, was the victim of a gang assault.

The video shows just how many people are involved or witnessing what’s happening, which underscores the challenge police and prosecutors have in the investigation.

Gag Order Disagreement

There’s still a gag order in place, preventing police and city leaders from continuing to talk about the investigation.

There’s little more than a day before the city council meets again. There was no indication Monday that the showdown between the district attorney and city officials over the gag order had cooled.

A letter the city sent to District Attorney Karen Heggen’s office late Friday from the city council asks her to withdraw the gag order and come to the table to discuss their disagreements about sharing information in the shooting investigation.

The special city council meeting grew tense Friday as officials voted to table a resolution condemning the order that officials not discuss the incident further. The council said it would revisit its options at its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday.

In a letter, the district attorney said members of the council did irreversible harm to the investigation with the information they released. She offered to speak with the council about their disagreement.

Public Safety Commissioner Jim Montagnino said Monday they had not heard from Heggen’s office about whether she’s considering their offer.

“I speak for myself, but I think the mayor also agrees, since we did vote unanimously at the end, that cooler heads are going to say that we should pursue a path of conciliation and not a pitched battle,” said Montagnino.

Members of the public at the meeting criticized Mayor Ron Kim and Montagnino for releasing video early in the investigation and proceeding to condemn and fight the gag order preventing them from releasing further.

The city council has asked Heggen to respond by Tuesday at noon. The city council meeting is Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.