Firearms Instructor Shot, Woman Arrested For His Attempted Murder

A seasoned firearms instructor in Vermont was found with multiple gunshot injuries Monday, and a woman who was scheduled to be his student that afternoon has been arrested for his attempted murder:

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Vermont State Police say a firearms safety instructor was found shot in the torso and jaw, and a woman scheduled for a lesson has been charged with first-degree attempted homicide.

Police said 31-year-old Veronica Lewis of Worcester was being held without bail and was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday. It wasn’t immediately known if she had a lawyer.

Police said 48-year-old Darryl Montague of Westford was found Monday lying at the edge of the road near his home, which is near his firearms business. It was initially thought that he may have been struck by a vehicle. Responders discovered he was suffering from the gunshot wounds and was hospitalized in critical condition.

Police haven’t publicly released a motive, but the prevailing suspicion at this time is that Lewis shot Montague in an apparent attempt to rip off his guns, but that has not been confirmed at this time.

More charges may be pending.

It is incredibly rare for a firearms instructor to be shot for any reason, much less intentionally. The last high-profile incident of an “instructor” of any kind being shot was the incident at an Arizona tourist trap where a range employee—not someone with actually instructor credentials—was shot and killed by a child who couldn’t control a Mini-Uzi submachine gun last year.

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The last actual firearms instructor murdered that I can think of was “American Sniper” Chris Kyle, who was co-founder of the now bankrupt Craft International. Kyle and his long-time friend Chad Littlefield were murdered by a former Marine in 2013.

We sincerely hope that authorities prosecute Lewis to the fullest extent of the law, along with any accomplices.

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