Springfield police shooting leaves New Hampshire man dead

SPRINGFIELD — The Vermont State Police investigation into Thursday night’s fatal police shooting in Springfield remains active and ongoing.

VSP is able to identify the deceased man as James Crary, 36, of Newport, New Hampshire.

Detectives have learned that members of the Springfield Police Department and the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department had responded shortly before 9:30 p.m. Thursday to 78 Valley St. as part of an open investigation.

When law enforcement arrived at the address, they encountered a man, later identified as Crary, in a vehicle outside the home.

Crary accelerated toward the officers, who were standing outside their vehicles.

At that point, a Springfield police officer and a Windsor County sheriff’s deputy opened fire with their department-issued firearms.

Crary was struck by gunfire and pronounced dead on scene.

The state police responded and assumed the primary role investigating the incident, as is customary for all officer-involved shootings in Vermont.

VSP is processing the scene of the shooting, interviewing witnesses and reviewing evidence, including video from cruiser-mounted and body-worn cameras.

Crary’s body will be brought to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.

The autopsy is expected to take place Saturday.

The officers involved are identified as Springfield Police Officer Vincent T. Franchi and Windsor County Sheriff’s Deputy Bryan Jalava.

Franchi was hired by the department as a fulltime officer in August 2020 and worked in that capacity until March 2024.

He returned to SPD as a fulltime officer in April.

Jalava started fulltime work with the department in May 2024 after beginning his career with the Hinsdale, New Hampshire, Police Department in 2016 and later working for the Windham County Sheriff’s Department in Vermont.

Both officers are on paid leave in accordance with standard protocol following a critical incident.

The Vermont State Police was uninvolved in the underlying investigation that brought law enforcement to 78 Valley St. and is therefore unable to answer questions about that case.