24-year-old Hassan Haji of Winooski turned himself in, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and was ordered held without bail until an Aug. 27 hearing.
Police say Haji stabbed 24-year-old Deng Dau once during a three-person fight just after 4 a.m. Aug. 15 behind Courthouse Plaza on Main Street; Dau later died at the University of Vermont Medical Center.
Five armed incidents unfolded downtown from Friday to Sunday—three involving knives and two involving gunfire—including a nonfatal stabbing about two hours earlier and a shots-fired argument near Church and King streets.
Interim Chief Shawn Burke said investigators so far see no connection among the incidents, though police are still pursuing leads in the nonfatal stabbing, the gunfire case and a bike-path knife assault involving three juveniles.
Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak said the weekend violence was alarming but cited city data showing overall violent crime still trending downward, while urging tougher gun laws and more youth-violence prevention.