Police are investigating two Friday night shootings — one in Hamden and one in New Haven — and investigators believe the incidents are connected.
New Haven police say an 8-year-old boy was lying in a first floor bedroom when he was struck by gunfire Friday evening. He suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the leg. Police said the boy was dischared from the hospital over the weekend.
Interim police Chief Otoniel Reyes says the incident in the Newhallville neighborhood was not a random act.
“This was a very specific targeted act of violence into a home without knowing what that violence could cause," he told reporters. "And in this particular case it almost caused the loss of a life of an 8-year-old."
Lt. Karl Jacobson says they have several leads in the case as well as video footage of the shooting.
"The video does show a vehicle slowly going down the street appearing to look for an address. It goes past the address, then it backs up," Jacobson said. "Passenger gets out, fires into the residence. Directly into that residence."
Hours before the shooting in New Haven, police in neighboring Hamden reported another shooting incident.
During a weekend press conference, Reyes said they believe the incidents are linked.
“What we learned was that several hours before, in the city of Hamden, there had been an incident where five people had been shot during a pool party, and through our investigation we feel very strongly that there is a connection between that incident and our incident," he said.
Police declined to give any more details. They say they’re working together and sharing information in both investigations. They’re also asking the community to come forward with any additional information.
This story has been updated.
