WEST HAVEN, Conn. — It was another violent 24-hours in the New Haven area. There was another shooting in New Haven and one in West Haven causing an accident at the First Fuel gas station on First Avenue.
A black SUV was wedged between a pole and a sign which had part of Spring Street blocked off for a few hours A white sheet was placed over the windshield of the car signaling of another death due to violent crime.
Witnesses of the accident say they saw the SUV cut through the gas station parking lot and then heard the loud bang of a crash. A crowd of people shouted to call 911. Police say the driver had been shot and was pronounced dead at the scene.
West Haven Police have not identified the individual killed in the incident or gone into detail about how his SUV crashed.
"I think West Haven has been holding their own with any kind of uptick in violent crimes," said West Haven Mayor Nancy Rossi. "Although there was an incident today that still under investigation, I think West Haven’s been doing fine."
Communities in New Haven have been calling for the end to the rash of violence all week. The city saw five shootings over the weekend, four Tuesday evening and another late Thursday night.
"The people who are picking up the guns, you have to take accountability," said Chaz Carmon, President of Ice the Beef. He called for the end to the violence during a city press conference Wednesday. "You have to put the guns down. You have to think about those babies."
New Haven saw two more homicides this week bringing the city total to 11 for 2020. That matches the number the city saw in all of 2019.
"At the end of the day, the way that we’re going to actually address these problems is by investing in communities in particular communities of color," said Mayor Justin Elicker.
While Mayor Elicker calls for the state and the city to invest in more social workers, youth organizations and jobs, he has come under scrutiny for cutting funding to the New Haven Police Department. They Mayor said earlier this week, that was not due to a lack of trust in the police, but rather financial struggles affecting nearly every aspect of the city budget.
West Haven says they don’t expect to see cuts to their department any time soon.
"Police funding in West Haven has already been underfunded, if you will," said Mayor Rossi. "They’ve had to do more with less throughout the last couple of years.
If you have any information about the West Haven incident, you are urged to contact West Haven Police at 203 937- 3900