The decision concerns Trooper Ryan Criss, according to Vermont Public’s June 24, 2026, report on the attorney general’s determination. Garvey was the one person killed in the incident.

The attorney general’s action is a criminal charging decision. It means the state will not bring criminal charges against the trooper based on the shooting. The available report does not establish whether any administrative review, civil matter or other process remains open.

Response followed mental-health crisis report

The shooting occurred as police responded to Garvey in Putney while he was experiencing a mental-health crisis. The available account does not provide further details about his condition, the sequence of the encounter or the circumstances immediately before the shooting.

Before the shooting, police had obtained two judicial warrants: a criminal arrest warrant and an emergency-evaluation warrant. The warrants were both in place before the fatal encounter, according to the report.

An arrest warrant and an emergency-evaluation warrant serve distinct functions, but the available reporting does not specify the underlying allegations supporting the arrest warrant or the terms of the emergency-evaluation warrant. The report also does not describe what actions were taken under either warrant before the shooting.

Scope of the attorney general’s decision

Clark’s determination addresses whether the trooper would face criminal charges. It should not be read as a broader finding about every aspect of the police response, the emergency-evaluation process or possible civil liability. The source packet does not establish any conclusion on those questions.

Likewise, the charging decision does not add factual detail about the use of force beyond the reported outcome: Garvey was fatally shot by a state trooper during the July 7, 2025, response. The available report does not provide a court finding, conviction, civil judgment or final administrative finding related to the incident.

For public-safety agencies and residents, the case places attention on the intersection of law-enforcement responses, criminal warrants and emergency evaluations when a person is described as experiencing a behavioral-health crisis. The record provided for this report, however, does not identify any policy change, safety directive or additional agency action arising from the decision.

Family says death was preventable

Garvey’s family has maintained that his death was preventable. That is the family’s position, not a finding contained in the attorney general’s criminal charging decision.

The reported determination leaves the family without a criminal prosecution of the trooper. The available information does not say whether the family has pursued, plans to pursue or has resolved any civil claim.

No further court date, hearing or agency deadline is identified in the available report. The known official development is the attorney general’s decision not to file criminal charges against Criss.

The shooting took place in Putney, Vermont, and involved the Vermont State Police. The attorney general’s determination was reported June 24, 2026, nearly a year after the July 2025 incident.