NEW HAVEN — Grief counselors were made available Monday for students in New Haven schools following the death of a 16-year-old in a shooting early Sunday morning.
Jericho Scott, a junior at Wilbur Cross High School, was well known in the community due to his skills on the diamond. When he was just 9 years old the New Haven summer baseball little league banned him from pitching because he was too talented for the age group, and threw too hard.
Scott was walking home at about midnight Sunday morning from a friend’s house when he stopped to talk to some guys he knew that were sitting in a white Volkswagen. That’s when shots rang out almost directly in from of Scott’s home.
“When I went to give him mouth-to-mouth that's when I noticed that he was bleeding from the back of his head,” said his father, Leroy Scott, who said he heard up to 10 gun shots.
And while he was taken to the hospital, the teen eventually succumbed to his injuries. “Jericho had a good heart rate the whole time, but he never opened his eyes again,” said Nicole Scott, his mother.
Police initially reported that another man, Justin Compress, 20, of New Haven, was recovering after the violent episode on Exchange Street.
In an update on Monday, New Haven Police announced that a third shooting victim turned up at the hospital on Sunday. Tyrese Little, 19, of New Haven, said he was shot in Milford, but police say that he lied and that they've discovered he was shot during the Exchange Street incident.
On Monday New Haven Police also announced that evidence strongly suggests this was not a random shooting, and that the victims were targeted.
Candles and flowers were placed in front of Scott's home. A GoFundMe page has been setup to help pay for his memorial service and burial.
Garth Harries, New Haven Superintendent of Schools said the young man was a student in the New Haven school system.
New Haven Police said the teen was in a white VW with Justin Compress when someone fired on the group, just after midnight.
Compress sustained injuries to his shoulders, a wrist, and hand. He was released from the hospital on Sunday.
Police say that Compress and Little are both known to officers due to another shooting that occurred last September. Little was shot in Compress' backyard ta that time. The shooter in that case is still at large.
Police initially provided a vague description of a vehicle of interest--a black or dark colored four-door sedan--but on Monday police said that area surveillance video didn't provide any evidence to support that description. Instead, police say the only vehicles seen on surveillance video fleeing the area at the time of the incident were a four-door Lexus or Toyota, and a newer model white Nissan, possibly a Sentra.
Police believe there were many witnesses to the incident, but have run out of leads. Nicole Scott, the victim's mother, said there were at least five or six people in or near the car that was shot at, so she's confident someone saw something.
“This kid was killed in cold blood for no reason,” she said. “To help the police and tell what you know, that's not snitching, that's justice.”
If you have any information please call 203-946-6304.
Also, Jericho Scott's wake is scheduled for Thursday at Howard K. Hill Funeral Services on Chapel Street in New Haven. The burial is then scheduled for Friday. A Go-Fund-Me page has been set up to help pay for funeral costs.
