University of Bridgeport student Moin Hassan Tuesday night became the city’s 19th homicide victim of the year during a convenience store robbery in the West End, according to police. See video from www.doingitlocal.com. Neil Salonen, University of Bridgeport president, issued this statement today.
To all UB students, faculty, and staff:
It is my sad duty to inform you that last evening one of our students, Moin Hassan, was shot during a robbery at a convenience store on Fairfield Avenue in the West End of Bridgeport. He was taken to Bridgeport Hospital and later died. Mr. Hassan, 22, was a graduate electrical engineering major from Bangladesh.
We are outraged and deeply saddened by this random act of senseless violence, and our prayers and condolences go out to Mr. Hassan’s friends and family, and to those at UB who knew him.
This tragedy occurred off campus. We want to reassure the UB community that the University considers the safety of its students and staff to be of utmost importance. Our Campus Security Office deploys patrol units throughout campus 24 hours a day, and can provide walking escorts for those who want them. Because of these and other measures UB is still rated the safest residential campus in Connecticut and has received the national Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Award.
Our Counseling Department is working with those most directly impacted by this tragedy. We urge anyone in need of support to call our Counseling Department at (203) 576-4454 or the Dean of Students Office at (203) 576-4392.
Neil Albert Salonen
President
Smh, right down the street from the police station too. Having lived in New York for four years (Bronx) during college I must say the big city seem safer than Bridgeport which is small compared to Bronx. Bridgeport needs prayer. I don’t blame the people who are leaving this city en masse.
My sympathy to the UB staff and students who knew this young man. Where is the outrage from this community regarding the rampant use of guns and senseless random deaths that are occurring every day–in every neighborhood? We used to feel safe because the violence/shootings were targeted to specific areas and to specific groups of people. Absolutely no one should feel safe anywhere, anytime, anymore!
It’s a shame a young person with so much promise was shot and killed in Bridgeport. There is no safe area left in the city of Bridgeport.
The city has become Dodge City under the leadership of Chief Gaudett and his four deputies. We have put on a couple of classes of new patrol people and where the hell are they? We still have a limited number of patrol cars per shift and we have a bunch of cops in useless divisions who basically just collect a paycheck and screw off.
Please tell me why we need cops on Segways. Tell me why we need cops on horses (this isn’t Wyoming). We have cops in traffic division and just what do they do?
How many patrol people do we have on extended injury leave? How many do we have on extended sick leave?
It’s time for the chief and the police board to start getting the officers on extended sick leave and extended injury leave back on duty or have them retire.
The fire department did that and got rid of a lot of malingerers who were on extended sick and injury leave.
The police department has got to send these people to a department doctor and get as many people back on the street as possible.
This city is in crisis and no one in authority wants to talk about it. Most of the police brass and many of the officers do not live in Bridgeport and do not have to deal with the day to day bullshit we the residents deal with. Sure the police work and deal with this bullshit and then go home to the ‘burbs. Their families are not directly affected with what we put up with.
The leadership of the police department has failed the citizens of Bridgeport and they have failed the hardworking street cops. Many of the deputies have been around since the last supper and it’s time for them to go. It’s time for Gaudett to get rid of his Sett unit and his Community Services division neither one works put these guys on regular police duty. Christ will somebody in authority say something and do something? It’s not rocket science.
Andy,
You have shared some new info with readers if I understand you correctly. Please explain when and how the Fire Department cleaned up its backlog of people who were ‘lost’ in a paperwork jungle of not being retired, not being considered long-term disabled and no longer available for duty, but basically never available for regular fire safety duty while claiming a slot that could otherwise be filled by a motivated able-bodied trained fire safety person? Great info to share with the Board of Police Commissioners, don’t you think? How did it happen? More importantly, who caused it to happen? Maybe there is hope in Bridgeport for change in this regard? Time will tell.
John; Then-mayor Fabrizi wanted the situation in the FD cleaned up. He appointed a Fire Commissioner named John O’Malley. When O’Malley saw the situation and the number of Firefighters that were on sick or injury leave for extended periods of time, a policy was set and these people were called before the fire commission to give a status report on their recovery. The commission sent many of these people to a department doctor and a timeline was established for people to return to work. Those who could not return and those who failed to get back to work were retired on disability in many cases. This freed up many openings for people who wanted to come on the job.
I know this may sound harsh but the few who are taking advantage are hurting the people who are injured and/or sick by taking advantage of the system.
In the PD there are approx 420 officers, 105 on patrol, 105 are bosses. That leaves 210 cops that one has to ask what the hell are they doing? Subtract another 60 or more and you still have 150 cops who are doing what?
*** Does CT have a mandatory illegal gun sentence? If not it’s time it did, no? Guns are out there regardless of how many cops are on duty. Between the neighborhood gangs, drug sellers and users along with the repeat offenders that get out too soon on probation or parole, it’s getting out of hand. Not ’til a child, known politician, or police officer gets killed will the city or state make new efforts to get real tough on crime! It’s a people problem that will take the eyes, ears and mouths of a community along with cooperation of the justice depts. all coming together to send a message and make a moral stand on crime and safety in our towns and cities. This should be a big constituents’ topic during political monitored debates among the candidates! And unfortunately it is going to get worse this presidential election year before it gets better! *** ZOMBIE TIMES ***
Mojo, you are right. We can talk about the economy and desperate people, education and every other category of policy (like energy financing programs) but the only one that matters is access to guns. When is this Mayor and this Chief of Police going to get this message??? We have had dozens of senseless murders over the last 18 months and nothing is being done to get guns off the streets. Giving Reverend Moales a bunch of money for anti-violence assemblies at his church is not the answer. We need cops, public awareness campaigns, neighborhood watches and real, significant energy around this issue. The Mayor and Chief should be relentless on this. If the Mayor spent as much time on this as he did on his sustainability initiatives, we’d have a different outcome. We have yet one more young person dead–never to contribute to our world again–and where is the Mayor? Any response? Out mowing the clean and green stuff? These murders are about real human beings losing their lives, families losing loved ones and communities losing their bearings. Where is our leadership???
A side note on the Mayor’s time spent on sustainability. He’s failing as miserably there too.
Hey Andy,
Is that the same Fabrizi who’s brother milked the FD’s sick policy for years and got away with it?
Fabrizi had an in-house expert to counsel him about how to fix the program.
Quit sticking up for your buddy Fabrizi.
Wasn’t Lenny Fabrizi out sick with the BFD when he started his landscaping business that made millions off the taxpayers?
Fabrizi’s brother was not on the FD when I was there. If anyone knows the history between Fabrizi and me they would know we are not friends and I think you know why.
Yes.
Yes, that was the same Fabrizi.
First my condolences to this young man’s family and the UB community.
Next, here’s the problem, the only duties in “Mayor” Finch’s job description involve sustainability. Everything else is under the supervision of Adam Wood and his gang of bullies. Adam doesn’t give a shit about Bridgeport. He has no roots here and lives in a safe quiet Black Rock neighborhood. Maybe if the crime wave hit closer to home he’d give a shit.
Fluckarella // Jul 24, 2012 at 8:04 am
Fluckarella // Jul 23, 2012 at 2:47 pm
Mayor Finch and Chief Gaudett want parents to be more involved in raising their children. Herr Finch wants to keep parents off the Board of Education, and Herr Gaudett wants the kids off the streets.
They should be talking gun control and more about stopping the drug gangs, starting after school programs, summer job programs and leadership programs in our schools, more Boys and Girls clubs, get the churches back on the streets, start ringing doorbells.
Who’s running this City, the drug lords?
Wake the Fuck up Finch!
Amen, amen and amen …
And there still is no Boy’s Club, Orcutt, Middle or North End to speak of, of course, Hat’s Off to Wakeman. That was not the Mayor’s initiative although he takes credit for it.
The Bridgeport Boys Clubs are closed because of a personal vendetta Adam Wood has against Ken Bruno. Adam would rather see the clubs close than allow Bruno to get any funding. Adam has gone to extremes to BLOCK funding to keep the clubs open.
Finch had NOTHING to do with Wakeman. That was Kevin Simmons from the Burroughs Community Center along with his friends from the old Wakeman’s in Fairfield. Kevin is a gracious guy so he lets Finch steal his thunder. Trust me, Finch had nothing to do with it, he came along after the fact.
I know that.
*** This is another Zombieland sad story that is not made up and unfortunately may be repeated in the near future ’til the city and state decide to move much more aggressively towards some type of tough on crime and gun control measures. *** RIP ***