Please, Officer Paul Finch urged the 44-year-old man on his knees in a soccer field on Woodward Avenue. Put the gun away.
The man had a shotgun pointed at his chin. He didn’t put the gun away. He fired.
The horrifying scene took place in the Annex neighborhood late Monday night.
Here’s what happened, according to various police officials:
A man who had been out of town for a few days returned home to find his uncle inside his house. His uncle, who has a substance abuse problem and has been arrested four times since getting out of jail July 31, had broken in through a back window. He had a shotgun in his hand.
“They’re coming to kill us,” the uncle told his nephew, according to top East Shore cop Sgt. Vincent Anastasio. “I just came here to warn you.”
Figuring the uncle was delusional, the nephew backed out of the house. The uncle followed.
The nephew’s wife and baby were still in the car outside.
The uncle kept the shotgun trained on the nephew.
“What are you doing?” the nephew said. “The baby’s in the car!”
The uncle lowered in the gun. The nephew hopped in the car and drove off. His wife called the cops.
Six cops responded to the house. The uncle was no longer in the house.
Meanwhile, East Haven cops reported that the uncle had allegedly committed an armed robbery in their town earlier that evening.
The cops searched the area. Officer Finch found the uncle lying down in a soccer field in East Shore Park across the street.
The uncle got on his knees. He put the shotgun to his head. That’s when Finch pleaded with him to put it away. That’s when the uncle pulled the trigger and ended his life.
Police had arrested the man in four separate incidents in recent months. He’d been charged with, among other offenses, burglary, tampering with a witness, and first-degree criminal mischief. All the charges were pending at the time of his death.
Quad Driver Critical
A quad driver crashed into a tree Monday night and almost lost his life.
The driver, who’s around 20, was passing a car while driving his quad on Russell Street by Clifton in the Heights at around 6:14 p.m., according to Sgt. Anastasio. He smacked into a tree. He was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where is reported in critical condition.
It is illegal to drive a quad in the streets. Police in neighborhoods like the Heights have had their hands full this summer chasing after dirt bikers and quad drivers.
I dont usually bash the writers on this page, however, this story looks like it was written by a third grader. "he shot himself in the head instead and died? Is that really considered good journalism?