Teen ID’d as Immigrant’s Killer
by Melissa Bailey | May 23, 2008 3:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
As Freddy Salinas’s torn family struggles to recover, police announced they’ve tracked down the man who shot him when he came to the aid of a friend.
Salinas (pictured), a recent immigrant from Ecuador, was killed on Feb. 25. He stepped into a staircase to help a friend who was being robbed and took a bullet in the chest. He died at 27, leaving behind a five-month-old baby and a distraught young fiancĂ©e, Silvia Bueno, 21. After his death, the city’s Ecuadorian community united to support the struggling family and send his body home.
Police announced Friday they’ve identified a 17-year-old boy as the man who pulled the trigger. The suspect is already incarcerated in Cheshire for violating parole for a crime an unrelated offense, said police Capt. Peter Reichard.
Police plan to charge the teen with felony murder, robbery in the first, larceny in the second, carrying a pistol without a permit and unlawful discharge.
The suspect lived on Grafton Street, just around the corner from Freddy, Reichard said. Police believe the teen was hanging out near Freddy’s Ferry Street home on Feb. 25 when he saw Freddy’s first-floor neighbor, Ricardo León, step out of the house to go to the corner store.
“He saw an opportunity.” Suspecting the neighbor had cash, the teen hid inside Freddy’s house and allegedly ambushed León when he returned, Reichard said. Freddy heard his friend’s cries and ran to the stairwell, where the teen allegedly shot him once in the chest, ending his life.
Police recovered the weapon within a week of the crime, Reichard said. He credited Detectives Steve Teague and Ed Reynolds for cracking the case.
“They pounded the pavement in Fair Haven,” he said, talking to neighbors and piecing together what happened that night.
Reichard thanked the Fair Haven community for stepping forward with information.
Crimes against undocumented immigrants often go unreported because immigrants fear opening up to police, said Reichard. The city recently approved a general order directing police not to demand immigration papers when responding to 911 calls.
“This goes to show” police are there to help, Reichard said. Police want to “get the predators off the streets” that are preying on immigrants.
“Trapped” In Grief And Debt
Meanwhile, Freddy’s family, split between two worlds in Connecticut and his home of Ecuador, is struggling to recover. Upon his death, fellow Ecuadorians and members of the St. Rose of Lima Church helped cobble together money to send his body home.
Silvia and her baby have since left the home, and the city, where her loved one was killed.
“It was too difficult for them to be there,” reported Father Jim Manship, pastor of St. Rose’s. On his recent voyage to Ecuador, Manship spent a day with Silvia’s family in her hometown of Sigsig. The poor local economy drove Silvia, her father and her sister to the USA to build a new life. Manship related the pain the family is now feeling, struggling under the weight of separation, grief and debt.
Manship described the hometown as an agricultural community with a beautiful views and a river running through it.
“They’re just simple folk who are just looking to get a little capital to build a little house and to be secure in their farming area,” he said of Silvia’s family. Now they risk losing their home in effort to support the $30,000 debt incurred by Silvia and Freddy’s voyage to the USA.
“All the mother wants is for the family to be together again, but there is even more of a debt to pay off,” said Manship.
“They’re trapped economically,” the pastor said. “All they want to do is see one another, but they’re trapped.”
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Comments
Posted by: Bill Saunders | May 25, 2008 4:00 AM
So, are you for more lenient sentencing because the accused shooter was "a boy"? (or are you accusing him of being a man?)
In a real sense, isn't this just another East Rock home invasion gone extremely wrong? (with both assailants being unpredictable teenagers).
Posted by: robn | May 27, 2008 9:02 AM
BS,
Not the same. The Loomis Place assailants weren't confronted by anyone. They had no reason or motive other than pure malice to beat their victim with a baseball bat. Its a bummer that Freddy Salinas got killed, but he intervened in a gunpoint mugging instead of calling the police.
Posted by: Please Stop | May 27, 2008 1:39 PM
Hey Robn --
Why even make your hurtful comment?
What decent point are you trying to make?
Please don't answer because any more justification of this would only be worse.
Posted by: robn | May 28, 2008 10:10 AM
PS
My point is that there is a distinct difference between this and the Loomis Place home invasion; they shouldn't be equated. If that fact hurts you then you'd better buck up.
Posted by: -fairhavener-
| May 28, 2008 9:19 PM
This whole area has been a cesspool of violence for too long. This has nothing to do with any kind of immigrants or their fear of the police (that is a publicity lie). It has to do with NO policing. Where are the cops? They are never here until after the fact (sometimes only if you are very lucky). Doubt it, come down and make a call to the police and listen as they tell you it will be 4-6 hours before someone can show up. "sorry, we're really busy."
What we need is a massive campaign to clean this area - not of immigrants of any sort, but of the human waste, violent scum. All rookie cops should have to walk a beat on Ferry, Poplar, Atwater, Exchange, and a couple others for at least a year before moving up. That might do it.
Posted by: Edward_H | June 1, 2008 11:26 AM
ROBN
Its a bummer that Freddy Salinas got killed, but he intervened in a gunpoint mugging instead of calling the police.
I admit I am not intimately familiar with the details of this case but the original article really does not describe the victim as confronting the mugger. It just says Freddy heard the man's cries of "Papa" and came running into the stairwell to help. How was Freddy supposed to know there was a gunpoint mugging in progress based on just hearing "Papa!"? If he heard the man yell "Help me I am being mugged by a man with a gun!" then I could understand your point. It appears Freddy was shot as he rounded the corner of the starwell to see what was happening. I could be wrong of course, the NHI often leaves out details in stories that do not support the view they wish to potray.
Sorry, Comments are closed for this entry
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