NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Investigators have run into a roadblock in their probe of a 2020 shooting that resulted in the death of a 19-year-old New Haven woman, who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. So now, the state is offering assistance on this case.
Kiana Brown Burgess, 19, was sleeping on a friend's couch inside a home at 206 Valley Street in New Haven on June 17, 2020. A bullet fired from outside came through the wall and killed her.
"It could've been a random gunshot, but there's a lot of things that lead us to believe that somebody that was in the residence may have been the intended target," said Chief Karl Jacobson of the New Haven Police Department.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Family of 19-year old New Haven woman shot in her sleep speaks out to demand justice
"She was so full of life, had jokes for days," said Sharon Brown, Kiana's aunt. "She was just so special to us."
"It cut deeper than any other loss that I've had," said a teary-eyed Brittany Odom, a cousin of Kiana. That is due in large part to the family receiving no answers.
"I remember when it happened, I tried to take matters into my own hands, and I was canvassing the streets over there asking questions and I'm walking up to people I didn't even know," Odom said.
And two years later, with still not enough leads, the state has now approved a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for killing Kiana Brown Burgess, a 2018 Hillhouse High School graduate.
"I can't tell you, and the mayor already said it, how many great stories of this young woman that we heard," Jacobson said. "And I get emotional about it because I remember just like you do."
Doctors thought it was some sort of medical event that killed Kiana, but the investigation and autopsy revealed a bullet entered the home, ricocheted off of a table, went up her nose and into her brain.
"We need people in the city to step forward and do the right thing," said Assistant Chief Bertram Ettienne of the New Haven Police Department. "The New Haven Police cannot do it on our own."
Anyone who has information can call or text the New Haven Police Department's anonymous tip line, but the reward is for those who do not stay anonymous.
Tony Terzi is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at tterzi@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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