Thomas MacMillan Photo
40 Henry St., where police found the alleged killer.
(Updated 8:41 a.m.) One day after announcing they’d solved one 2011 homicide, cops converged on the Dixwell neighborhood to make an arrest in a separate one.
Police arrested a 21-year-old man on Henry Street shortly before 5 p.m. Wednesday. They are charging him with the shooting death 17-year-old Vashun Lewis on Goffe Street on April 16. The shooting is believed to have taken place as a result of a dispute over a gun.
Around 4:40 p.m. Wednesday, police received a tip that the suspect was at 40 Henry St. They found him there.
He was arrested and taken to police headquarters. Detectives began interviewing him at 7:43 p.m. He was advised of his Miranda rights. He responded by asking to speak with his attorney. The interview ended at 7:48 p.m.
He was being held on $1 million bond pending a court appearance Thursday morning.He is charged with murder and criminal use of a firearm.
Police arrested another man — not the murder suspect — at 40 Henry St. on an unrelated warrant.
Assistant Police Chief John Velleca confirmed the arrest. He declined further comment.
The suspect is no stranger to New Haven cops. They previously arrested him in February, April, and May on a variety of drug-dealing, interfering and weapons charges, according to the state judicial website. The site also references an arrest for which the file has been sealed. And it states that his rearrest had been ordered.
Lewis was one of 21 homicide victims, and 19 African-American homicide victims, so far in New Haven this year.
Police had been combing the Dixwell neighborhood for almost 24 hours before searching for the suspect.
Paul Bass Photo
The search first took them late Tuesday afternoon to a house at the corner of Compton Street and Winchester Avenue. They believed that they might find the suspect there.
A small crowd gathered on the corner as cops searched the house. They were looking for the suspect, who was described on a police radio broadcast as five-foot-ten, 150 pounds, 21 years old, “dangerous,” and possibly armed.
Sgt. Donald Harrison (pictured), Dixwell’s district manager, noted that his team has arrested the suspect in the past. “From working the neighborhood,” Harrison said, “I know he sometimes lays his head here” on the second floor of the multifamily house at Winchester and Compton.
Police did not find the suspect in the house. But they did find what might prove to be crucial evidence.
Police canine Bitang, who has a reputation for sniffing out guns at crime scenes, joined the search with his officer, Renee Forte. An automatic .22 ‑caliber handgun was found under a mattress on the second floor, according to Harrison. Rather than Bitang, it was a human officer, Terrance McNeill, who found it.
Vashun Lewis was killed by a bullet from a .22. It’s too early to tell if the recovered gun will be confirmed as the one used in the murder.
Earlier Tuesday, police announced they’ve arrested the alleged lookout in a July 9 murder and obtained a warrant for the arrest of the alleged shooter.
What is this? 2 arrests in 2 days. Is this Johnny Boy pressuring NHPD to get these arrests so he looks good and can claim victorys in the fight on crime? I really hope not. There have been enough innocents put behind bars by NHPD. If this is just more electioneering and these young men are found not guilty what will it cost the city?