State Police announced Tuesday that they had identified the perpetrator responsible

State Police announced Tuesday that they had identified the perpetrator responsible for the Oct. 2023, fatal shooting of 27-year-old Gunnar Watson in Wheelock, but no charges will be filed due to the death of the offender.

State police say an extensive investigation determined that Gary Larocque, 40, of Brownington, fired the rifle round that killed Watson as he stood in the doorway of his Wheelock home at about 5:50 a.m. Oct. 16. Detectives recovered several .223-caliber cartridge casings from Larocque’s residence in Brownington that the Vermont Forensic Laboratory was able to determine were fired from the same gun as the cartridge casing located at the homicide scene. Watson and Larocque were co-workers who had known each other for several years.