NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — A 16-year-old from New Britain is facing charges after a shooting injured another teenager Tuesday evening, police said.
New Britain police were called to an apartment on West Pearl Street around 5:45 p.m. on the report of a "disturbance."
When officers got to the apartment, they found a 15-year-old girl suffering from a single gunshot wound.
The girl, a New Britain resident, was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Police said she was in critical but stable condition.
The 16-year-old boy at the scene, also a New Britain resident, was identified as the shooter by police, officials said. The teen was taken into custody without incident and the gun was found by investigators.
Police said he was charged with first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and illegal discharge of a firearm.
Tatiana Young lives in the downstairs unit where the 15-year-old girl was shot. Young said a bullet from that incident came through the roof of her apartment.
“It was scary because I didn’t know what was really going on upstairs and I really didn’t even think something like that could happen up there. They seem like a picture-perfect family for the most part,” said Young.
An order to detain was granted to investigators and the teen was turned over to Hartford Juvenile Detention.
According to police, both teens were known to each other, and the shooting happened within the apartment. It's unknown at this time if the incident was accidental, officials said.
Superintendent of New Britain Public Schools Dr. Anthony Gasper issued a statement regarding the shooting:
As a school community, we hold in our hearts the young person who was critically wounded and are offering counseling support to the family, students, and teachers who may need help processing this tragedy.
While this incident did not take place on school property, as Superintendent, I want to let you know that we will continue to take very strong measures to ensure that our schools are safe and that any inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated.
We appreciate the efforts of the New Britain Police Department in their ongoing investigation and we will continue to work closely with them and to keep you updated as this situation continues to evolve.
About the Consolidated School District of New Britain in partnership with family and community, the Consolidated School District of New Britain works to provide the best personalized and comprehensive whole-child education at every level so students will be prepared for, and positively contribute to, a profoundly different future.
Anyone having additional information is urged to contact Lt. John Prisavage at (860) 826-3131 or the NBPD Anonymous Tip line at 860 826-3199.
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Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
DeAndria Turner is a multi-media journalist at FOX61 News. She can be reached at dturner@fox61.com.
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