Someone shot and killed 45-year-old New Havener Luis Fernando Gonzalez-Sandoz in Fair Haven Monday night.
A few hours earlier, a driver struck and killed a 49-year-old pedestrian in West River.
Those two fatal incidents took place on opposite sides of the city Monday night, according to email press releases sent out by New Haven Police Department spokesperson Officer Scott Shumway on Tuesday.
The first incident took place at around 9:53 p.m. That’s when city police officers received 911 calls regarding a motor vehicle crash and a pedestrian struck on Chapel Street between Norton Street and Ellsworth Avenue.
Responding officers located a 49-year-old New Haven man on Greenwood Street between Gilbert Avenue and George Street, and determined he was the pedestrian involved in the crash.
The man was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Update: Police have subsequently identified the victim as Michael Santiago.
The New Haven Police Crash Reconstruction Team responded to the scene and the investigation is on-going.
The second incident took place at about 11:29 p.m. That’s when city police received 911 calls regarding a person shot on Poplar Street between Lombard Street and Chatham Street.
Responding officers found Gonzalez-Sandoz, who had been struck by gunfire and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
New Haven Police Investigative Services and Bureau of Identification responded to the scene and the investigation is on-going.
Gonzalez-Sandoz’s shooting death marks the 21st homicide in the city so far this year, and came just a day after 30-year-old Zaire Luciano was shot and killed in the Annex.
New Haven has now had more homicides in the first eight-plus months of 2021 than it did in all of 2020.
In January, Alfreda Youmans, 50, and Jeffrey Dotson, 42, were found dead by the police inside a Winthrop Avenue apartment, Jorge Osorio-Caballero, 32, was shot and killed in Fair Haven, Marquis Winfrey, 31, was shot and killed in Newhallville, and Joseph Vincent Mattei, 28, was shot and killed in the Hill. Someone shot Kevin Jiang, 26, to death in Goatville on Feb. 6. Angel Rodriguez, 21, was shot to death in Fair Haven in mid-February, his body dumped by the Mill River in East Rock. Dwaneia Alexandria Turner, 28, was shot to death in the Hill on March 16 during an argument with two other women.
On March 26, Alessia Mesquita was shot dead in Fair Haven. Then 20-year-old Mariyah Inthirath was killed Saturday, May 15, on Sheffield Avenue and Jack Hopeton was killed near Orchard and George on Tuesday, May 18. On May 19, Tashawn Brown was shot dead across from Edgewood Park. On May 26, 34-year-old Adrian Barwise was shot inside a Sherman Parkway house during an apparent argument over a game, according to police. Miguel Ramos, 37, was shot dead on Springside Avenue on June 6.
Richard Whitaker Jr. was shot to death on Columbus Avenue in the Hill on June 15 — after having watched a gunman shoot his brother dead in the neighborhood the previous August.
On July 10, someone shot and killed Kevan Bonilla, 20, on Lombard Street in Fair Haven. Kevin Mills, 33, was shot to death on Dixwell Avenue on Aug. 10.
Tyshaun “TyTy” Hargrove, 14, was shot to death on Chatham Street on Aug. 25.
It's unfortunate but I'm not shocked at the amount of pedestrian accidents we have. On my daily commute from Westville to downtown via Whalley I average about 5 people crossing in front of my car illegally. They don't even bother walking the short distance to a corner crosswalk. Upper Westville by Dunkin and BK is just as bad.