NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A man is listed in critical, but stable condition after being shot at Union Station in New Haven on Wednesday night. The incident, which happened just before 9 p.m., halted all rail traffic in both directions between New Haven and West Haven for an hour and a half. Four different agencies are now working together to find the two suspects involved.
“We truly believe the rail system is safe. You will see MTA, Amtrak, Connecticut State Police and New Haven Police officers throughout the station," said Chief Karl Jacobson with the New Haven Police Department on Thursday morning.
Chief Jacobson said police received 911 calls at 8:39 p.m. about a person being shot at Union Station. Shortly after, officers found a 34-year-old male from New Haven suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on the platform and he was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital.
Later, Jacobson said the three men could be seen fighting on surveillance video before one of them (the 34-year-old) gets shot. The suspects then ran away and hopped on a bus headed to New Haven Green. They were last seen leaving from the Green and hopping on another bus to an unknown location.
“Last night, there was a detail of MTA officers who quickly responded to the scene and gave immediate first aid to the victim," Jacobson said.
Jacobson said a conductor could also be seen on video, attempting to break up the fight before things went south. That person was not injured, and neither were any passengers. Jacobson said the train was a Metro North Train coming from New York.
MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) Communications Director, Tim Minton, said that MTAPD is the lead investigative agency, and was joined on the scene by Amtrak Police, New Haven Police and the Connecticut State Police.
“You have four police agencies in there. It’s safe to ride the train," Chief Jacobson said.
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker reiterated that point Thursday, saying this kind of event is rare for the area.
“We don’t have any feeling that there’s any risk to the public now. People should feel safe as they always do, going to the train station," Elicker said.
However, that didn't stop rail riders from feeling uneasy when they went back to Union Station the morning after the shooting, knowing the suspects are still on the run.
“I was honestly scared and nervous because I take the train every day and I was confused how something like that could happen," said Arealyah Paul of Hamden, who takes the train every day for work.
Paul said she was supposed to be on the train where the shooting happened on Wednesday, but instead took a later train.
"So, I’m lucky I wasn’t on the train," Paul said.
However, she was part of the backup on Metro-North, sitting on a separate train for more than an hour wondering what was going on. Paul said the conductor told her to check Google to see what had happened.
"I was shocked," Paul said.
Another rail rider was also caught up in the mix, stuck in East Haven at one point during the investigation.
“The gentleman said to everybody, a lot of police outside, the doors have to be open, everybody started panicking, asking each other what happened what happened," said Olena Zadorozhnia.
In the meantime, New Haven officials are working with the MTA which is the primary agency in the investigation and also urges witnesses to come forward.
"The investigation is active and ongoing, with no active threat to Metro-North riders or employees," MTA Communications Director Tim Minton said in a statement.
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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