Nine people were shot and one of them dead early Thursday morning at the Trumbull Gardens housing complex in the North End, according to police. Six adult males including the one deceased, Savonie McNeil, 37, of Shelton, and three females were shot. Doing It Local reports that some victims were shot through the walls of their apartments. NBC Connecticut reports that a stray bullet hit an elderly woman in the back as she bathed in her apartment. Anyone with information should contact the Bridgeport Police Department at 203-581-5201.
From Doing It Local:
Just after 1am Thursday morning Bridgeport police received calls of shots fired at 455 Trumbull Avenue with multiple victims. When I arrived a crime scene had been established across the street. Unofficially 9 people were shot and 1 killed as a result.
Police were challenged to keep up with the total number of people shot becaue not only did they have the victims at the scene but also victims were showing up in private vehicles at St. Vincent’s Hospital including the person who died from their wounds.
Radio reports say some people were shot through the walls of their apartments. After an initial police investigation police learned the shooting did start in front of 455 and moved across the street with guns blazing. More than likely people shot through the walls were innocent bystanders
CT Post report here.
Mayor Bill keeps saying crime is down and things are getting better, such a liar even before this terrible event.
Ron, right on!
This is such a tragedy, nine shot and one dead. Could anyone imagine blaming a Mayor who has made every effort to get guns off the street? Honestly Ron, shameful and pathetic. I am shocked, Ron. This is tragic!
Steve Auerbach, what part of my comment is not true, aren’t those quotes about Mayor Finch true? I’m not blaming the mayor for this terrible crime, I’m repeating what Mayor Bill Finch said. I have every right to question his statement.
This is such a tragedy, nine shot and one dead. Could anyone imagine blaming a Mayor who will bring guns into this city by way of the Bass Pro Shops? Shameful and pathetic! Every time I think of Bass Pro I think of the Newtown tragedy!
Fluck you, Mayor Finch!
Don’t they have a regular police patrol in Trumbull Gardens? I would think there would be a couple.
NO.
Well Andy, considering the fact the first thing I thought of was “Where was the Garden’s regular patrol?” I am sure I am not the first nor the only one. I am not a Rocket Scientist.
Gabby, I was not angry when I answered NO. There is no regular patrol car assigned to just this project.
Jimfox, I’ll stop you when you’re wrong. Mayor Finch is bringing one of the largest sellers of guns in the country under the guise of urban renewal. But he fought like hell to stop medical marijuana from being sold here. Is it just me or are his priorities misplaced?
Where is Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton and Obama? But I’m sure if it were a cop who killed some thug they would be down here in Bridgeport. BTW how does one blame Finch for this??? I’m no Finch fan but he should not be blamed for this, blame the black leaders, that’s who should be blamed!!!
donj, that was your most thoughtful post. I blame the weakness of the black leadership in our city. Blaming Bass Pro? Donald Day, you are sad.
Steve,
Your comment here is more racist and insensitive than any posted thus far. From everything I have read, with the exception of one potential witness cited by the CT Post, there have been no arrests made, no suspects identified and yet you have already placed the blame on the African American community and its black leaders.
Talk about playing politics! Shame on you, Steve.
Bob Walsh, you are pathetic. I addressed the tragedy and I blame the weakness of the leaderless black community. You are calling me a racist? Really? Get me a list of your brothers and sisters who agree with you, otherwise I’d suggest you stay off the blog and start working on my friend Mary-Jane Foster’s campaign, she is falling so far behind I even get the impression Ron Mackey believes Ganim is the winner. Bob Walsh, I would address the problem, not Mayor Finch. If you have no solution then you most likely are part of the problem. Calling me racist proves you really are part of the problem.
Bob Walsh, I just reread your post. You are an idiot!
And your leader Bill Finch has this to say at a press conference.
“But we have made progress and we have the lowest crime rate in 40 years.”
Please Bill, stop with this PR crap. Talk about a mixed message. Do we have a problem or not? Speak the truth, Bill.
“Younger black men in public housing often don’t go to school or have jobs,” Jones said. “They stay home all day and then they go out looking for trouble. What are they so angry about?”
DD, this Mayor is a political whore, I mentioned the other day on this blog about how the streets of Black Rock are so dirty, today I have a street sweeper up and down my street for the past two hours.
Yes Don, very misplaced!
That’s way I’m voting for Joe Ganim!
How great would it be if Bridgeport had a cannabis plant to help our kids.
Charlotte’s Web is a medication made from cannabis plants and administered in liquid form. Its popular name refers to Charlotte Figi, the child with Dravet syndrome whose seizures stopped after she began taking this medication. It is grown in Colorado by the Stanley brothers and sold at their Colorado Springs dispensary.
I’m no supporter of Finch. With that said, how does bringing in a company that sells guns LEGALLY correlate to what transpires on the streets? There have been very few killings/shootings on these streets with guns that were legally obtained and used by the licensed owner. 99.9% of the crimes are committed by guns coming from the south. I was a victim of a shooting when I was 17, and the assailant’s gun was illegally obtained.
Gun laws restrict the ability of law-abiding citizens to obtain guns. And no I do not think there is a place for military-style weapons to be available to the public or even the police.
Eric, I would be more amenable to what you are saying if you can tell me one good thing that comes from selling guns, legally or otherwise.
It’s choice and privilege we have as law-abiding citizens. Personally, I enjoy going to the range with my pistol for target practice. I would certainly hope and pray I never have to use my firearm to protect my family, but in the event it happens I will have the option of using it.
Yes, I know the Newtown shooter legally obtained his guns. The system failed him and us. He had mental health issues that should have prevented him from being able to purchase firearms.
Let me help you out here, Eric Alicea!
www .ctpost.com/policereports/article/Cops-Stratford-truck-driver-stole-111-guns-4067450.php
Exactly, stole them. Most guns that are on the streets are purchased by straw buyers, or in the south.
I stated guns that are bought legally are almost never a part of a crime.
Eric Alicea, personally I do not like guns. I have been trained since I was eight in rifle shooting and archery, pretty damned good I might add. On a rifle ranch upstate every year as my family never spent a summer in Brooklyn. As an adult I have used a Beretta here in Bridgeport shooting ranges trained by some of the best policemen in Bridgeport. My friend’s circles are wide and diverse. Personally I’d prefer a baseball bat for protection and if I ever caught the individual who robbed my home two years ago, I’d put the bat to use. That being said, the anti Bass Pro rant is of course coming from the Finch opposition. Bass Pro is a most respected company. It will be mostly Republicans and supporters of the NRA who will travel over a hundred miles to make Bridgeport their destination. I am a camper and will be thrilled to shop at Bass Pro. I support our right to carry arms that are legally obtained. I do not think thugs go through the process to legally obtain a gun and I do not think it would be wise to hire a young Bridgeporter from a housing project to work behind the guns counter and I am certain that would not happen.
Mayor Finch has been commended up and down 95 for bringing Bass Pro here and again it is just noise from the opposing campaigns that offer no vision, no alternative but a lot of criticism.
Steelpointe! To our future.
To the families of the victim and those wounded, thoughts and prayers. Thank you Mayor Finch for showing leadership.
donj and Steven, what in hell does Sharpton, Jackson or my president have to do with these senseless shootings?
donj, did you hold all white males accountable for the senseless murders in Sandy Hook? Did you hold all white males accountable for the school shootings at Columbine or any of the other more than 50 school shootings by white males since 2000? How about the movie theater shooting or the shooting that almost killed congressperson Gabby Giffords?
You’re an idiot and a fool so shut up and crawl back into the hole you call home.
Donald Day, I was not supporting that part of donj’s comment regarding Sharpton and Jackson.
To be clear, it was donj’s comment about not blaming Finch. I didn’t realize how awful the other part of the comment sounded. For the record, I do like when Jackson and Sharpton get involved on certain issues as they have the celebrity to raise awareness on certain issues.
I’m black, Donald, and the thing is these shootings happen every day in black neighborhoods and no Sharpton or Obama but when a white cop kills a black man they are the first on the scene.
donj, you are a young black man who lives in the 130th district so why don’t you lead a protest march against these shootings?
donj, your ethnicity has absolutely nothing to do with my response to you. You talk as if blacks are the only people in America who are indiscriminately shooting other people. You talk as if only blacks should be concerned about gun violence that is killing our youth as opposed to any compassionate person being concerned. Gun violence in America isn’t a black issue, it’s an American issue and how dare you lay this ugly crime at the feet of our black leaders or at the feet of black Americans?
There’s a saying, every brother ain’t a brother. Get in where you fit in.
The current politicians are running around telling you Bridgeport is getting better every day. Ten people were shot overnight, one person died as a result of those injuries, even a grandmother in her home taking a bath was one of the people struck by the gunfire, that brings the total to nearly 50 people being shot in this city and 9 murders this year I believe. This is an election year so they will continue to tell you this lie while the carnage continues. Make your vote count this year, the life you save may be your own. Or that of your children, family or friends. Brace yourself, with a undermanned police department with low morale, poor leadership and no real community policing plan in place, it’s gonna be a long hot summer.
Very tragic event at Trumbull Garden. Bridgeport is getting better every day. Where is the outrage from the black community? Black lives matter!!! Where is the march? Where is the protest? Where were the police? OH that’s right, the police department is understaffed about 70 to 80. Come July that number will be in the 100s.
So who are we going to blame for this one, the incompetent police chief? You mean to tell me he didn’t know after the new contract there was going to be an exodus of officers? Or Finch for putting an incompetent chief of police in place (get my point)? How about if we blame guns. I though all this new laws that came into effect after Sandy Hook were going to stop gun violence. I’m just saying.
Lowest crime rates in 40 years. WHERE? Stop lying, Mayor Finch. It’s all on how you manipulate the numbers. More people were shot in 2014 than in 2013. The difference is the amount of people who died. Summer is not here yet. Hold on to your seat, it’s going to be a rough ride.
Vale, how many people who lived here knew the shooters had guns?
Apparently the only person who didn’t see a drop in police officers happening is the chief of police. Either he is dumb or incompetent. Either way he should be held responsible and sent packing.
What’s next, another city curfew, BILL?
Jimfox, of course a curfew by Counterfeit Bill because he needs to look like he is doing something.
Steve Auerbach and donj, here is a notice you should be interested in:
CONECT Present A COMMUNITY DIALOGUE ON POLICING IN BRIDGEPORT
with MAYOR BILL FINCH and CHIEF OF POLICE JOSEPH GAUDETT
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015 7:00PM
BETHEL AME CHURCH
110 GROVE STREET
BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT
TOPICS OF DISCUSSION WILL INCLUDE:
*Community Policing in the City of Bridgeport
*Preventing possible Baltimore and Ferguson like incidents
*Building trust between the community and local law enforcement
Moderated By: Bernadette Hickman-Maynard Co-Pastor, Bethel AME Church
www .weconect.org
I am no Nostradamus, but with the State about to lose jobs due to Malloy and his tax hike, I suspect this is going to be a very long hot summer in this State and others.
David Daniels is on target on this one. But we also need tens of thousands of living wage, Bridgeport-based jobs so we will have a hopeful, gainfully employed population that will not have time to expose themselves to late-night insanity. While those injured may have been totally innocent and certainly have a right to be out any time of the day or night they choose, a different lifestyle might have kept them out of harm’s way. A different social dynamic in this city, brought about by full employment/gainful employment would also drastically reduce the chances of such occurrences.
The poor woman shot in her home by a stray bullet really brings home the point of the need to recreate the whole socioeconomic environment of Bridgeport.
There is plenty of blame to go around on this one–in terms of City Hall, Hartford and Washington, and the whole approach and attitude towards Bridgeport’s socioeconomic dilemma. We need new leadership at all levels of government. We need a new mayor, new governor, and new congressional delegation, and new president, who have the determination to turn our distressed urban centers around. We don’t have that now.
Bridgeport votes should not go to reelect the present congressional delegation for the Fourth District or Dan Malloy if he runs again. They have all failed Bridgeport miserably. And of course, we need new leadership in City Hall.
This has nothing to do with guns. It has to do with a Godless society. Gun ownership and the ability for mankind to protect themselves is not a privilege, it is an inalienable right given to us by God. Ask Southern blacks what happens when their guns were taken away, ask the Jews what happen when Hitler took their guns away, I can go on and on. We have pulled so far away from God, broken homes, broken families, broken communities. No responsibilities, no consequences, no ownership. We can blame Finch and the police chief for understaffing, for that is their responsibility to us and these shootings are a consequence of them not fulfilling their job. But we must also blame ourselves. Those of us who know there is drug dealing going on in our neighborhoods and turn our backs. It’s not our responsibility, let someone else do it.
One thing about this city is it is fairly evenly proportioned between whites, blacks and Hispanics. So that does not make it a race thing, it makes it an us thing. And shame on all of us for falling in the media trap of making any of this a race thing. Jeff is right, lack of “real” jobs is the next biggest problem. What’s that saying about “idle hands and the devil?” And that’s our responsibility. We keep voting for the same old failed policies and politicians who are taxing residents and businesses into oblivion and driving them out of our city and state. It’s time for us to take our neighborhoods and our children back!
Quentin–this is by far the best summarization of what’s gone wrong in today’s society. Thank you for an excellent read.
Amen, Quentin! Preach it! While issues such as poverty and unemployment all play a role, there is a need to take the bull by the horns and take our communities back. Sadly, people are not just poor, these are the same communities that have more crime, asthma, blight, absentee landlords, permanent substitute teachers and no jobs. And sure, while some people may play the blame game (parents are lazy), what do they say about children exposed to trauma such as shootings and violence, which has visible neurological effects (lazy for not undoing the neurological effects of trauma etc?) and PTSD by age 5? But somehow we expect these things will miraculously become undone by the time children become youth and then adults. And it is interesting to see the rhetoric and faulty logic people use about low-income people. For example, people generate statements as though this is a black problem or Latino problem, or Bridgeport or low-income problem. This is an American problem. As an American, and as a human citizen (whether one lives in Bridgeport or the suburbs) it behooves us to take responsibility about these issues, not just the individuals who got shot by a stray or intended bullet. Low-income folks are criticized for being complacent, but it is also complacent to blame others while taking no actionable steps.
Despite these setbacks, at the same time if people don’t all step up to the plate then we can’t expect someone else (politicians, etc.) to do it for us.
The subject of Trustworthy Information for Public Safety (TIPS) bears repeating on this occasion. Is it time for the TIPS program to be supported by Mayor and Police Chief? Anybody remember their past actions relative to that low cost, publicly safe way for local residents to SAY WHAT THEY SEE but in safety? Not telephone. Not twitter or email. Snailmail. An idea from voters and citizen activists around gun violence in past years, presented to the Council and for all purposes ignored by King Bill and General Gaudett (probably on orders because the idea did not originate in the MO)? Just an idea from two black men who shared it with a white man in Council chamber several years ago and it was set in action at diverse locations in the City and funded for one year. One man had lost his son to gun violence. Why was TIPS ignored by City and Police leadership? Time will tell.