NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The One in Five Foundation For Kids announced plans for volunteer patrols in New Haven after the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old student on Nov. 22.
The student violence prevention and advocacy nonprofit, formerly known as the Uvalde Foundation for Kids, is recruiting and launching volunteers from the national STOPNOW citizen school patrol teams to patrol areas including the Goffe Street and Hudson Street neighborhoods, the Hill House High School neighborhood and "known student bus stop pick up/drop off locations throughout New Haven," the spokesperson said.
STOPNOW patrols are intended to "minimize & prevent safety incidents from reaching school campuses; while also providing extra encouragement and support for students and neighborhoods," according to the spokesperson.
The patrol members' training includes situational awareness, conflict resolution and self defense. All are uniformed and patrol in groups of 4-8, the spokesperson said. The patrols will include over a dozen members for an ongoing rotation.
More information about the patrols and how the volunteers are recruited can be found here.
The foundation is also offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of the shooter through its Crimes Against Students National Reward Program.
New Haven police said officers responded to a report of shots fired just before 3 p.m. in the area of Goffe Street by Hudson Street on Nov. 22. The teen, who officers found lying on the side of the street, was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital where he died of his injuries.
A stray bullet hit a school bus as it was passing by during the time of the incident, police said. Mayor Justin Elicker said the bus was carrying children from Celentano Biotech, Health and Medical Magnet School.
No one on the bus was injured.
Police noted that two youths were arrested nearby but that they do not believe they were involved in the shooting death of the 16-year-old. One of the youths, also 16 years old, was in possession of a ghost gun with an extended magazine.
The foundation said in a statement, "Our foundation is heartbroken as we learned of this shooting today. We are responding immediately to the current shooting of this student, with immediate deployment of our school community safety patrol teams and additional crisis support resources at this time. We stand with the community in denouncing another tragic act of violence against our students."
They continued, "We seek to further ensure this through our volunteer safety patrols, we seek at this time to add to the safety, support & well being of all students and residents at this time until the suspect is apprehended."
The One In Five Foundation was formed in May 2022 following the Uvalde, Texas mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, the spokesperson said.
Sean Humphrey is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at shumphrey@fox61.com
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