WATERBURY, Conn. — Waterbury police are investigating a shooting that involved an SUV slamming into a building on N. Main St. on Friday. The incident ended in one man's death, and another, now temporarily out of business.
Police were called to the 800 block of N. Main St. around 2 a.m. for a report of shots fired. When they got there, police found a vehicle crashed into a local Latin-American restaurant, Ingapirca Restaurant and Bar.
Officers found a man in the driver's seat with a gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead on the scene.
Crews removed the SUV from the restaurant and opened an investigation into the case.
FOX61 spoke with the general manager of the restaurant, who said he got a call in the middle of the night from neighbors who heard alarms going off at the store.
"It's destroyed, it's a lot of loss and well, it's seven years of working, trying to grow it out, and now it's everything goes down," said Jose Gavilanes, Manager at Ingapirca Bar and Restaurant.
Gavilanes said they were getting ready for a busy holiday weekend. They purchased double the amount of food that they normally do. Now, that food is going to waste after they had to turn off the gas and power to the store as police investigate.
"The only thing I keep feeling is sad because, we ready soon to retire. And we tried to have something to keep you going you know," Gavilanes said.
Gavilanes and his family moved to Danbury from Ecuador decades ago. More recently, they moved to Waterbury so they could open up a business here. At this point, he's counting his blessings, thankful nobody was working at the time.
"I'm feeling happy because it was when the business was closed. No customers inside, none of my family was here because this restaurant is a family business," Gavilanes said.
Now, Gavilanes is unsure if his business will re-open, but police told him the investigation will take some time.
"Now, I'll see what happens you know, we have to wait and see what's going on," Gavilanes said.
In the meantime, community leaders, like the President of Ice the Beef, Waterbury Chapter, are trying to figure out how to stop the violence.
This now marks the 11th homicide Waterbury has seen so far this year, with five murders happening in just the last two months.
"It brings about a spirit of urgency within me," said Darryl Copeland, President of the Waterbury Chapter of Ice the Beef.
Copeland is tracking the violence closely and working to stop it. His group hopes to turn the community's pain into progress.
"I believe that we can try to make a difference. We can't stop it altogether. But to bring more community awareness," Copeland said.
And that's exactly what they'll be doing in a community forum next month, with clergy members and local leaders. The group will invite parents and community members in on the conversation, too. The plans aren't finalized yet, but it will take place in Waterbury on July 22nd, 2023.
In the meantime, police are working to figure out what happened in this case. They are not releasing the identity of the victim just yet.
Anyone with information is asked to call WPD Detective Bureau at (203) 574-6941 or Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (203) 755-1234.
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
---
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
---
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.