Arrests Made In Gunfire Incident Outside Preschool; Social Workers, Cops Pitch In

A day after gunmen fired 23 rounds in front of a preschool at dismissal time, social workers and cops showed up to reassure families, and the cops announced they’ve arrested the alleged shooters.

Those were the latest developments connected to the Tuesday afternoon shooting outside Dr. Reginald Mayo Early Learning Center on Goffe Street. A man fired the bullets from a window in a passing vehicle at 2:26 p.m., causing the school to keep some students already on the bus in place while initiating a lockdown for everyone else inside the building. No one was injured in the incident, but it put the community on edge.

Police held a press conference on the third floor of police headquarters at 1 Union Ave. late Wednesday afternoon to announce the arrest they’ve made in the case.

New Haven cops worked with officers from Hamden and Wallingford to make the arrests, Assistant Chief Karl Jacobson reported at the press conference.

He said that police determined that the car connected to the shooting, a Toyota RAV4, matched the description of a vehicle that had been stolen out of Wallingford.

A Wallingford officer who serves on a regional shooting task force out of the NHPD ​“went looking for the car” and found it in Hamden Tuesday night, Jacobson said.

Hamden and New Haven officers went to the scene by Carmody Drive and Mix Avenue and found three teens walking out toward the vehicle. They apprehended and arrested the three teens, one of whom is 19 and from New Haven, the other two 17.

They also recovered three guns in total: a 9‑millimeter ​“ghost gun” with a 50-round magazine, a 9‑millimeter handgun with a 35-round magazine, and a Taurus 9‑millimeter handgun.

The 23 shell casings found at the scene of the incident were from 9‑millimeter bullets.

Police have initially charged the three teens with a variety of offenses. The 19-year-old is being held on a $500,000 bond on charges including criminal possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, first-degree larceny, and interfering with police.

The three have not yet been charged in the Tuesday shooting incident outside the pre-school. But they are definitely suspects, according to Jacobson. He said police are awaiting results from ballistic tests, expected over the next 24 hours to tie the bullets to the recovered weapons.

Jacobson credited Beaver Hills Alder Shafiq Abdussabur, a retired police sergeant, with helping officers gain information.

“Community information was important on this one,” Jacobson said.

The shots were not fired at anyone connected with the students, Jacobson said. ​“That neighborhood is safe. The children are safe, even though it was a very bad situation.”

Jacobson also said that the bullets were not fired in the direction of the school. ​“They were definitely fired in the direction of the apartment complex” across the street from the school, he said. He said police know that because some of the buildings were struck, and because of the direction in which the cartridges were ejected.

“At no time did they fire at the school,” Jacobson said.

He added that police believe that ​“at least two” guns were fired in this incident.

The Scene At School, A Day After

Earlier Wednesday afternoon, at dismissal one day after the incident, city leaders and police showed up at the school to offer support to families and staff.

Jennifer Ivey picked up her 4‑year-old daughter Zamyra Warren and reflected on the ​“frantic” Tuesday afternoon pick-up.

Ivey, a New Haven native, was greeted by police cars and a blocked off street when she arrived Tuesday around 2:50 p.m to pick up her daughter. 

“My heart was pounding,” she recalled. ​“I wish they would have let us know they even went in a lockdown.”

Ivey, a mother of three, said the Tuesday incident, along with the violence throughout the city, are making her consider moving out of New Haven. She also serves as caregiver for her mother, who lives in West Haven. 

“Just knowing New Haven, I was terrified. It’s getting really bad,” she said. 

After picking up Zamyra Wednesday, she went to pick up her other two kids, ages 17 and 9, who attend Hillhouse High School and John C. Daniels. 

She was happy to see the officers at the school Wednesday. She said her daughter seemed fine after the incident Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Clifford Beers Guidance Clinic Vice-President Christine Montgomery joined Dr. Mayo’s full-time Head Start clinician on site Wednesday to offer extra assistance with addressing any mental health and/or trauma concerns for staff and students as a result of the shooting.

Montgomery said the visit and extra assistance took place out of precaution to aid staff and students already dealing with preexisting struggles like the uptick in violence in schools, family separation, violence in homes, and absent caregivers.

Montgomery joined clinician Julia in visiting all the school’s classrooms throughout the day to check in on educators and students. 

Principal Monique Brunson arranged two staff meetings around 7:30 a.m with the Clifford Beers team to ​“remind staff how to keep themselves settled and grounded.” 

The school planned to host a parent meeting later Thursday to talk about the lockdown procedures and answer questions about the process in such situations. 

“This is complex trauma,” Montgomery said. 

In addition to the police presence, Beaver Hills Alder Abdussabur and Mayor Justin Elicker checked in on the school staff, parents, and students at dismissal. 

Abdussabur said he learned about the incident while driving by the scene after coming from an appointment downtown. 

“I almost blacked out from seeing all the yellow tape,” he recalled of seeing Goffe Street in front of the school. 

“If you’re in danger, I’ll be in danger with you, so I can understand and never forget the urgency of the needs of the people,” he said. 

He joined in seeing families off outside of the school Wednesday and provided parents with his contact information and information of the Yale Child Study Center. 

“Any time a child is exposed to this level of violence, there is an injury,” Abdussabur said. ​“It may not show up today, but it will show up when they become an adolescent or their young adult life with trigger challenges.” 

He said he will continue to push implementing a 10-point Stop-The-Violence Plan he drew up and plans to visit the school again Thursday to continue offering support to families. 

“We’re in for a very dangerous year,” he said. ​“We have work to do in New Haven around crime strategies.”

Thomas Breen contributed reporting.