c/o Caleb Henning
Multiple shots were fired in the area of Pearl Street and Court Street near the Old Middletown High School apartments on Wednesday, April 24 around 2:33 p.m. The incident was reported to the Middletown Police Department (MPD) at that time, and the caller noted that they saw a blue SUV driving away from the area. There are no known injuries at the time of this article’s publication and the area is now secure.
The MPD followed a suspect who fled the scene down toward Broad Street after shooting at the occupant of the blue SUV, and eventually apprehended them on Hamlin Street. The suspect was identified as 19-year-old Chauncey Robertson. Robertson was arrested, held on a $1,000,000 surety bond, and presented to the State of Connecticut Superior Court in Middletown on Thursday, April 25. Robertson was charged with reckless endangerment, criminal attempt to commit assault, unlawful discharge of a firearm, carrying a firearm without a permit, alteration of firearm identification markings, and use of a firearm in a class A/B/C felony, according to a press release sent out by the MPD on Thursday, April 25.
The incident was not a random act of violence but a crime of opportunity by Robertson toward someone he was feuding with. The MPD emphasized that there is no ongoing threat to the community. They were able to recover shell casings from different caliber firearms in the area of Pearl Street and Court Street with the help of a MPD K9. A Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun was recovered at the rear of 51 Broad St., where Robertson was seen fleeing from the police.
Students on campus were alerted to the incident through the University’s emergency alert system at 3:10 p.m., which advised students to shelter in place. The shelter-in-place order was lifted at 3:27 p.m. and the emergency alert system notified students on campus that the suspect had been taken into custody at 3:35 p.m. Vice President for Student Affairs Mike Whaley emailed the entire University community—including parents and students off-campus—informing them of the shooting at 4:39 p.m.
“No students were involved or injured, and the suspect is now in custody,” Whaley wrote.
Another eyewitness reported seeing MPD officers interviewing residents at the Old Middletown High School apartments around 4:05 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24. An initial press release was sent out by the MPD to the Middletown community shortly after.
The MPD is planning to release more information about the case as it becomes available. At the moment, they have sent out two press releases. Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call the Middletown Police Major Investigations Unit at 860-638-4140.
This article is part of a developing story. Further articles will be published with more information as the investigation continues.
Caleb Henning can be reached at chenning@wesleyan.edu.