NEW HAVEN, Conn. — There have been 45 non-fatal shootings and 13 homicides in New Haven thus far in 2021, which is far ahead of last year's pace. Police believe they're making headway, despite three shootings in the last two days including Thursday night on Lilac Street.
The damage to a car on Lilac Street was startling. It had at least five bullet holes. One of the men struck is a husband and father, who was sitting in his car when he was shot.
"His wife was getting ready to go to work and she couldn’t go to work because she had to take her husband to the hospital," said Claudette Deer, who is the landlord of one of the men shot.
Both victims, 32-year-old men, sustained non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. Residents of Lilac Street tell FOX61 it was kids, driving down the street in a car, that the gunshots came from.
"It’s still too early in the investigation but we have seen stolen cars driving neighborhoods shooting," said Assistant Police Chief Karl Jacobson.
"We as a community and as a city are doing everything we can to respond to the uptick in violence," said Mayor Justin Elicker (D-New Haven).
That includes Project Longevity and what’s called custom notifications, which are essentially targeted visits.
"People that are at risk to either be shot or do shooting they are identified through our intelligence which we meet on a daily basis, and we go out and talk to them and offer them services," said Jacobson.
These and other measures are yielding results.
"The third week of May, we had seven shootings and three homicides and since then we went out and made significant gun arrests," Jacobson said.
Claudette Deer remains frightened for her tenants.
"I’m scared that they might make mistakes and shoot up my damn house and my people in it," she said.
Friday afternoon New Haven Police were on the scene talking with residents.
"We are increasing walking and bicycle beats because many residents want to see more police officers in their neighborhoods," Elicker said.
Wth still an insufficient number of police officers due to budget constraints, the New Haven Police Union says temporarily taking resources and putting them into walking beats and bicycle patrols is a band-aid approach and not a real solution.
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