New Haven Independent

Police say Gardner left his house at 6:15 a.m. to catch the bus for work. He waited by this bus stop (pictured, near the fence), right behind Career High School. Someone approached him. After some kind of altercation, the other man pulled out a gun and shot Gardner. Gardner “got up, ran away and was shot again while he was attempting to run away,” said Police Lt. Herman Badger.

Badger said Gardner has told police he was the victim of a “failed robbery” by an unknown man. But witnesses indicated “that there was an argument just prior to the shooting. That, in our mind, suggests that they may have known each other,” said the lieutenant.

Police found Gardner at about 6:20 a.m. He was on a bench in the rear of the Jewish Home for the Aged on Davenport Avenue, where his mother works. Gardner was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital and treated for life-threatening injuries. Police had not identified a suspect and were still working to crack the case late Tuesday. No weapons had been found, said Badger.

A city detective stopped by the corner around 11 a.m. The detective, Edward Reynolds, asked people standing around if they knew anything about the shooting. “No,” said a Career student standing near the curb.

A man named Carlos who had parked his wheelchair near the corner said he’d heard one story from his mother, who works at the Jewish Home: “Someone tried to steal his chains” off his neck. “That’s messed up,” said Carlos.

“That’s one story,” replied Reynolds. “I heard a whole lot of stories. I’m trying to get to the bottom of this.” He answered a loud ring on his mobile phone and zipped off in his car.