MONTPELIER, Vt. – A Vermont state trooper was justified in using deadly force on an unarmed burglary suspect who refused an order to surrender and twice took a “shooter’s stance” while aiming what turned out to be a cell phone at the trooper, authorities said Friday.

Attorney General William Sorrell and Lamoille County State’s Attorney Joel Page said the trooper was reasonable in his belief that he was in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury when he fired his weapon at Jonathan Martel in Cambridge on April 30. Martel, 40, of Stowe was shot once in the lower right side of the back.

Police and Lamoille County sheriff’s deputies began chasing Martel’s car that day after it had been reported to have been involved in a burglary in Johnson. The car was chased to the back road in Cambridge where Senior Trooper Dustin Robinson chased Martel through the woods.

Robinson ordered him to stop and to show his hands, but Martel did not, authorities said. Martel then came to the top of a knoll and stopped with his back to Robinson and started fidgeting with his waistband. He then quickly turned around in a shooter’s type stance, pointing a metallic object at Robinson, authorities said.