Pittsfield Native Identified as Beating Victim
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A former Berkshire County man died Aug. 16, five days after being viciously beaten by juveniles in a park in Burlington, Vt.
Scott W. Kastner, 42, was not identified as the victim of the assault until Tuesday this week by Burlington Police, after his obituary was posted by Dwyer Funeral Home. Kastner was born in Pittsfield and lived for a time in Adams; he moved to Burlington in 2007.
The police log states officers were on foot patrol around Church Street in Burlington on the afternoon of Aug. 11 when they came across the assault in progress. The juveniles fled on foot and bicycle and one of the suspects had a gun they had displayed during the assault.
Vermont News First reported that additional arrests were expected and and the juveniles, ages 14 to 16, are now facing charges in Family Court.
The critically injured Kastner was taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center. The Office of the Medical Examiner has not yet released the cause of death.
He was born in Pittsfield on Feb. 4, 1983, and leaves four children Tatyalonna, Scott Jr., Xayleigha and Alayah Kastner. His parents are Teresa Watford of Pittsfield and Raymond Keele and his wife, Traci, of Adams, and brother to Shaun Kastner, Shellene Kastner McGirt (Shyemel), Jordan Keele Williamson, and Sharaya, Michael and Coda Keele.
His family said he enjoyed, the outdoors, camping, dancing, drawing, and singing. The family has launched a GoFundMe to help defray funeral costs. Services will be held Sept. 6 at 11:30 a.m. at Dwyer-Wellington Funeral Home on East Street. The obituary can be found here.
Kastner's assault in City Hall Park at 1:30 on a Monday afternoon sparked outrage in Burlington, where residents and business owners have complained for months about safety issues on Church Street because of open drug use and criminal behaviors. The south end of the four-block pedestrian street and marketplace ends at City Hall; the block-long City Hall Park lies to the west of City Hall.
"That whole area is drug-infested," Kastner's brother Shaun Kastner told WTEN News. "That's where the violence comes from. ... It's a senseless act that happened but there's a lot of stuff going on out there that's senseless."
The Burlington City Council on Monday passed a resolution calling for more enforcement of existing rules downtown and an ordinance to create a "rapid response process" to move civil and criminal ordinance violations through a restorative justice system. Some residents have called on Gov. Phil Scott to provide more resources. Compass Vermont said the governor is considering how the state can assist if city leaders request it.
Tags: assaults, fatal,
