Death of Guilford Teen By Gun Shot Termed "Tragic Loss"

GUILFORD, CT — A somber group of Guilford school, town and state officials held a press conference Thursday morning to discuss the Wednesday shooting death of high school freshman Ethan Song, 15.

The Guilford community is grieving after Ethan was shot and killed inside a house on Seaside Avenue near Chittenden Park Wednesday afternoon, police said late Wednesday. Details of what caused or led to the shooting have not been released but police said two teens, including Ethan, were inside the home around 3:30 p.m.

"This is an enormously tragic loss for us," School Superintendent Dr. Paul Freeman said Thursday morning, at a press conference in front of his Park Street office. In attendance at the press conference were an army of news reporters, tv cameras and photographers.

"Students are very sad today," said Freeman. "Our focus has been to try and maintain as normal a school day as possible. But they are confused, shocked. There has been lots of hugs. A student even asked me if I was ok."

Freeman was joined at Thursday's press conference by First Selectman Matt Hoey and Guilford State Rep. Sean Scanlon. At Scanlon's suggestion to the governor, Freeman, said, flags in town will be flown at half-staff in memory of Ethan. (A GoFundMe page has been started to assist the family. Read that story here.)

"Guilford is a community full of compassion," said Hoey. "The community will put together."

Freeman added that the town has heard from many towns throughout the state, offering whatever support they could to help Guilford through the crisis.

Hoey said it isn't just the students that have been in need of counseling, stating that a lot of the first responders do the scene on Wednesday have had a difficult time dealing with what they faced when they arrived at the home.

Both Freeman and Hoey said police are handling the investigation and that they don't know much more than they knew yesterday. Freeman said he did not know - yet - whether the other teen inside the home was a Guilford public school student.

Police said their investigation is in its infancy as they are waiting on search warrants to conduct a thorough review of the scene.

Freeman said grief counselors were present for students today and he urged the media to refrain from going to the High School as it will be a very difficult day for students, police said.

Police did say as of Wednesday night, no one is in custody for the fatal shooting and they did say Ethan did not live in the home he was shot in. After Ethan suffered the gunshot wound he was rushed to the hospital where he died.

Freeman said that Ethan "was an engaged young man who had siblings in the Guilford school system." He added that Ethan was a graduate of the middle school, who also had grief counselors on hand today to help handle the students' grief.

A basketball game between Guilford High School and Fairfield Prep was cancelled Wednesday night after both coaches discussed the tragic shooting.

Fairfield Prep's coach Leo Redgate told the Connecticut Post that the game had to be canceled as the students would be in no condition to play.

"Basketball pales in comparison to someone losing a life," Redgate said via the Connecticut Post. "We all just have to realize that it can happen to any of us and love our families and friends as much as we can and appreciate every second we have with them."

This is a breaking news story. Check back for more updates.

Photo by Jack Kramer (from left, Sean Scanlon, Paul Freeman, Matt Hoey)