Reader Contributed Photo
Shots fired at Orange and Lawrence.
Thomas Breen Photo
Lawrence Street, where officers found 20 shell casings.
(Updated) Less than four hours after drive-by gunfire locked down 10 city schools, police made arrests they believe are connected to the case.
The gunfire took place in bursts in the area of Edwards, Livingston, and Lawrence streets around 8:15 a.m. Numerous people witnessed it.
Witnesses identified the vehicles involved as a Dodge Durango and Acura MDX. Officers later located 20 fired cartridge casings, according to police spokesperson Capt. Rose Dell.
Police subsequently recovered the bullet-pockmarked Acura in Fair Haven; it had been stolen yesterday in Hamden.
Reader Contributed Photo
Police swarm Leeder Hill Road arrest scene.
They found the Durango believed to have been involved in the incident over the Hamden line around Leeder Hill Road. Officers arrested three young men near that location along with “several” illegally held guns, police said; a dozen New Haven officers were spotted on scene shortly before noon.
Police believe the arrestees and weapons are connected to the earlier gunfire. Other details about the arrests were not immediately available. The investigation is ongoing.
Police did not locate victims. It was not immediately known if anyone had been hit.
Because the people involved were traveling after the gunfire, officials closed down access to 10 schools in all, not just those in the immediate vicinity, out of a sense of extra caution, according to schools spokesperson Justin Harmon. The schools included Wilbur Cross, Hillhouse, East Rock, King Robinson, Worthington Hooker, Celentano, Wexler Grant, Obama, Lincoln Bassett, and the Mayo Early Learning Center.
Hooker School had a similar lockdown on Jan. 20.
Harmon described the measures as beginning as full lockdowns, with people sheltered in place. They morphed into partial lockdowns before ending, during which people could move freely inside the building, but everyone was kept indoors. No one was harmed, he said.
Ben Berkowitz witnessed the incident — and had a sense of deja vu. He had just dropped his kids off at Hooker School. He prepared to turn his car onto Edwards Street from Whitney when he saw the SUV, with all tinted windows, pull into the intersection.
“It appeared to be chasing a vehicle. A person in a red hooded sweatshirt lifted up high enough on the passenger side that I could see him above the vehicle” from the other side, Berkowitz said. He said he saw the man pull out a pistol into the air; then he heard three shots.
“People were ducking and covering behind trees.” Then the driver fled.
This is the third time this school year he knew of gunfire in the area during school hours.
“I’ve lived in New Haven my whole life,” said Berkowitz, who founded the SeeClickFix company. “It feels incredibly close when your own kids are in lockdown and you have to explain to them why they were in lockdown. The frequency of this is like nothing I’ve ever seen in New Haven.”
This was the third time Cross has had a lockdown this year, reported student Dave Cruz Bustamente.
“A lot of students are feeling fed up with it” said Cruz Bustamente, who serves a a student representative to the Board of Education. “My mother texted me saying she was was so angry that this country does not protect kids even at school. It’s a frustrating process. We need healing more when this happens.”
Thomas Breen contributed to this story.
Lawrence Street Monday morning after the shots fired
It's very sad to hear these parents and especially young students feeling so frustrated and scared about this issue. An issue that is happening WAY too often. One of the parents said it's like nothing he's ever seen before in this city. I think I saw recently that the teacher's union got their contract settled with the city. How is it going with the police union's contract? No offense to the BoE and the teachers, but they cannot fix this issue of rampant gun violence or even attempt to fix it. Neither can any of these "special" committees. Only the police department can. And we constantly hear from the PD's administration that they're very, very short on officers. A good contract can help retain officers and help to recruit more individuals to apply. It's something you can advertise in the media (like the state police did recently). I sure hope the city isn't playing hardball with them. Shame on them if they are and just another reason to consider someone else besides Mayor Elicker this time around.