Fairfield Police Warn Of Misinformation On Social Media

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield police are warning residents of misinformation posted on social media about recent incidents in town.

“It has come to our attention that misinformation is circulating on social media regarding certain recent Fairfield incidents,” the police department said Sunday in a Facebook post, which provided clarifying details about several incidents of interest.

The first took place Friday night and involved two juveniles who shot at a 13-year-old girl from a Vespa using what was reported to police to be a BB gun, according to the Facebook post. The girl was not hurt and neither she nor her parent wanted to speak to police, the post said. An officer found the juveniles, according to police, who said one of the juveniles described the weapon as an air-soft gun that shoots water-filled beads.

“No further investigative actions nor enforcement action can be taken without statements from victims/complainants,” police said.

Authorities also addressed a false report of an armed robbery involving inaccurate claims of a woman being held at gunpoint Wednesday at Charles Schwab in downtown Fairfield, which was the result of a miscommunication involving employees and security at the business, according to police.

“Per policy and best practices, and based on the information available to police at the time, immediate and aggressive police actions were the appropriate means to ensure the best chances of preventing loss of life,” police said. “As new information was received and developed, tactics were tailored and dialed back as appropriate. The police response to this incident was neither overplayed nor excessive, and the miscommunication was not on the part of the Fairfield Police Department.”

Lastly, the department touched on cases of reckless driving in town, including an unsanctioned car show and the misuse of ATVs and dirt bikes.

“Amidst such instances, there is often a desire from the public to witness police exact instant justice, but this is not in the spirit of 21st century policing and is often in conflict with new laws,” police said. “Know that anytime there is a true public emergency, the Fairfield Police Department will use a variety of methods to alert the public and the press in a timely manner with information about the emergency, the actions police are taking towards resolution, and methods the public can use to keep themselves safe.”