Thomas Breen photo
Asst. Superintendent Whyte, at a September back-to-school presser.
New Haven Public Schools Asst. Superintendent Paul Whyte was in his living room Friday night when, “all of a sudden, we heard the pops.”
Whyte is the city’s instructional superintendent for high schools and alternate programs.
On Friday night, he, his wife and mother-in-law experienced firsthand the surge in violent crime that has beset this city over the past 12 months.
At around 7:30 p.m. that night, gunshots struck and entered his Osborne Avenue house while Whyte, his wife, and his mother-in-law were inside.
“I was in the living room, my wife was upstairs between the bedroom and bathroom, and my mother-in-law was about to go upstairs to her room” when the shooting started, he told the Independent Sunday morning.
“After hearing something come through and break the window, and then hearing the second pop, I got down and yelled for my wife and mother-in-law to get down too.”
Fortunately, he said, no one in his family was injured during the gunfire. But the violent barrage left his whole family rattled.
“We were shocked at what was happening,” he said. “I want a safe city for all of our kids, for families, for everyone.”
Whyte said that he has never experienced anything like this in his 12 years living in Beaver Hills.
Local pediatrician and Board of Education member Tamiko Jackson McArthur, who lives across the street from Whyte, told the Independent Saturday that she heard the gunshots at 7:28 p.m. Friday.
“It sounded so close,” she said. She added that she hears gunshots “all the time” in their Beaver Hills neighborhood. She didn’t find out until Saturday morning that Whyte’s house had been hit.
When asked how he felt in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, and how he feels a day and a half later, Whyte returned to “the shock of it all.”
“I’ve really been grateful for the support of the community around me,” he said. “People reaching out,” checking in to see how he and his family are doing.
With the police still investigating the case, he said, “I’m just hopeful to find and understand” what happened Friday night, and why his house — and his family — were subjected to such violence.
New Haven Police Department spokesperson Capt. Anthony Duff confirmed by email Saturday that police are “investigating an incident of gunfire striking a house” on Osborn Avenue. He said he was not aware of any reported injuries, and did not have any more information to share at this time.
NHPD chart
The New Haven Register first broke the news of the gunfire striking Whyte’s home on Saturday afternoon.
Later that evening, an as-yet-unidentified man was shot and killed in the East Rock neighborhood in the area of Lawrence and Nash Streets.
His death marked the sixth homicide in the first five-plus weeks of the new year.
Just like cities across the country, New Haven has seen a dramatic increase in violent crime over the past year, particularly since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2020, New Haven saw 20 homicides and 121 victims of non-fatal shootings — some of the worst local street violence in nearly a decade. Neighbors across the city, including in Beaver Hills, have cried out to city leadership and to their neighbors to do something to address the spike in crime.
Mayor Justin Elicker sent out an email press release Saturday stating that he visited Whyte’s home Friday after learning of the shooting.
“I went to see Dr. Whyte and his family last night upon hearing about the shooting incident,” Elicker is quoted as saying in the release. “I was relieved in this moment, traumatic as it was, to hear that Dr. Whyte and his family were physically unharmed by the gunfire. This moment is also a reminder that, with crime on the rise nationally and in our City, bullets have no name. We are very lucky in this instance that no one was hurt.”
He encouraged anyone with information about the shooting to call the city police at (203) 946‑6304.
“To those who continue to wreak havoc in our communities, divide us further with gun violence, and have no respect for the safety of our neighbors,” the mayor continued in his email press release, “we are putting you on notice. Your violent actions will have real consequences. The New Haven Police Department is working diligently to get to the bottom of this instance, as well as the many other violent acts that have continued to plague our community.”
“I understand that many who are affiliated with group-involved violence and street groups often don’t know how to shake their allegiance to this group identity,” he concluded. “We are ready to support you if you want to leave that life behind.”
I think this is awful! Dr. Whyte is a wonderful asst superintendent and a fine person with great character. I pray they find the person responsible and hold them accountable! What is happening in this city? A teacher gets carjacked at gun point and now Dr. Whyte's house gets shot up! We don't need to defund the police! We need to increase police presence by hiring more officers. Due to Covid and many prisoners being released, there is a lot of crime in New Haven and unfortunately it is only going to get worse if we don't do something about it!