WATERBURY, Conn. — Waterbury Police are investigating after a 17-year-old was shot and killed Tuesday evening in the area of Bishop Street.
It's being investigated as Waterbury's 13th homicide of the year, as well as the first involving a minor.
Police identified the victim Wednesday afternoon as Wissin Resto-Rodriguez, 17, of Waterbury.
Raul Ortiz, the brother of the victim, said his family was told this shooting might have been a case of mistaken identity.
"We are sorting it all out right now and we do believe potentially there was a vehicle involved," said Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo. "We're not sure if there was more than one. But we will continue down that path."
At around 6:28 p.m. Tuesday, Waterbury police responded to reports of gunfire in the area of Bishop Street where they found Resto-Rodriguez with gunshot wounds.
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The victim's family told FOX61 off-camera that after being shot, Wissin climbed a fence to get back into his yard and told one family member, “They got me. Get my brother.”
Resto-Rodriguez was taken by ambulance to Saint Mary's Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, police said.
"It's a very active investigation that has brought us to other neighborhoods within the city," Spagnolo said.
The Waterbury Public School District said in a statement that they "are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our student who attended Wilby High School. We are working with our crisis team to provide grief counseling to staff and students who have been impacted emotionally by this tragedy. The district sends its most sincere condolences, thoughts, and prayers to the family."
"He was a pretty good kid," said neighbor Ramon Quiles. "I don't know what's in the background but he's good. Everybody here knows him. Nobody really had problems with him."
Wednesday afternoon, friends of the victim noticed a shell casing sitting on the sidewalk near the shooting scene, so the Waterbury Police forensics team was called back to Bishop Street to collect the additional evidence.
"We are working the electronic side of it right now and working in our real-time crime center," said Spagnolo, who noted police are making great progress in the investigation.
The Waterbury Police Department’s Major Crime Detectives are actively investigating this incident.
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Anyone with information regarding this incident should contact the Waterbury Police Department’s Detective Bureau at (203) 574-6941 or Crime Stoppers at (203) 755-1234.
The mother has created a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses; click here to donate.
Tony Terzi is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at tterzi@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Jareliz Diaz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jdiaz@fox61.com
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