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'In my heart, you knew what it was' | Hamden community reacts after two injured in Saturday shootings

The husband of one of the victims says he heard nearly ten gunshots while in his home and then his wife began screaming for help.

HAMDEN, Conn. — Police in Hamden are investigating two shootings Saturday night that injured a 37-year-old woman and a 39-year-old man.

Police first responded to Butler Street around 10 p.m. where they found a woman had been shot while in her home. A bullet went through the wall and struck her shoulder. Her husband told FOX61 Sunday he was in the bedroom when he heard nearly ten gunshots. His wife then came in screaming to call 911. The woman was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital where her husband said she underwent surgery Sunday to have the bullet removed. Police do not believe she was the intended target.

About 30 minutes after responding to that incident, police were called to another shooting about a mile away on Warner Street. A 39-year-old man had been shot multiple times and was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

RELATED: Hamden police investigating 2 shootings

Joe Winters lives on the street where it happened and said he heard the gunshots while watching tv in his basement. He first thought it was fireworks.

“We have a lot of fireworks go off in this neighborhood and I was like, 'It didn’t quite sound like fireworks,' and in my heart, you knew what it was. You just prayed that it was not right in front of your house or on your street,” he said. “My daughter is 15. My daughter plays in these streets. There’s kids that live in this neighborhood and there’s people here that I’ve literally known for 50 years.”

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Winters, who grew up near where the first shooting happened, said the neighborhood is not what it was ten years ago. He said the streets and homes are maintained less and the standards have been lowered, but that there are a lot of good homeowners in the area who deserve better.

“We need some community involvement. We need to reinvest in our community and that starts with us the residents but also the people who govern us and the people who come to work in this area. We all need to work together,” he said. “You can’t live in constant fear that’s not right. That’s not America.”

RELATED: Body found along railroad tracks in Beacon Falls identified

Neighbors near the Butler Street shooting say they heard the gunshots and were shocked because there are a lot of families in the area. One said she has never seen police action on the street.

The Hamden Police Department is asking anyone with information or video surveillance for the Warner Street shooting to contact Detective Andrew Lipford at 203-230-4055 or alipford@hamdenpd.com. The Butler Street shooting is being investigated by Detective Jay Bunnell who can be contacted at 203-230-4045 or jbunnell@hamdenpd.com. Any information provided can remain confidential.

Tony Black is a multi-media journalist at FOX61 News. He can be reached at tblack@fox61.com. Follow him on FacebookTwitter and Instagram

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