At approximately 2 a.m. on Friday morning, a Middletown resident was shot in the foot at 55 Broad Street in close proximity to the Broad Street Bookstore. The suspects have not yet been apprehended.
An e-mail sent to the entire University community on Friday stated that the police believe this shooting was a non-random drive-by shooting. The car continued west on William Street after four to six shots were fired.
The Middletown Press reported that the occupants of the car appeared to be four Hispanic or black males. Police are still searching for the gold Ford Taurus implicated in the shooting. The victim was taken to Middlesex Hospital and released soon after.
“I think it’s important for people to understand that as we understand it, the incident involved two people who knew each other,” said Director of Communications Justin Harmon. “It was not a random drive by. Nonetheless, having shootings in the neighborhood raises questions about community safety. Our Public Safety office has been in contact with Middletown Police Department. Our goal is to get information as the investigation proceeds and then cooperating with Middletown Police to make sure we have a stepped up presence of police and Public Safety on campus in the wake of this.”
According to the Hartford Courant, the victim was D’Shaun Watson, a 22-year-old resident of Hotchkiss Street. The shooting is the second of two recent incidents involving Watson. Last May, he was implicated in a fight on Court Street in which baseball bats were used.
“The [victim] lives in the vicinity, and there appears to be a pattern of some trouble and violence, which are causes for concern,” Harmon said.
Although the shooting did not involve anyone from the University, it took place just outside of the Broad Street Books building. In addition to the bookstore, the building contains offices for the university radio station WESU, the Argus and a campus dining option, Red & Black Café. Public Safety and the Middletown Police Department have increased patrols on campus in response to the shooting, and information is available on the Public Safety website.
“What we try to do is get information out as quickly as we can about incidents in the community so people have a realistic sense of the environment around them,” Harmon said. “[Director of Public Safety] Maryann Wiggin sent out an announcement last week just reminding students about the Public Safety Bulletin Board, and that they post information about the community and beyond. We want to raise students’ awareness and educate them about how to be safe in residential halls, out and about on campus, and in town.”
The Middletown Police Department was unable to comment about the incident due to the ongoing nature of the investigation. Anyone with information on the shooting is encouraged to call the Middletown Police Department at (860) 344-3200.