Police ‘Actively Pursuing’ Leads In Hamden Shooting: Mayor

HAMDEN, CT — Police are “actively pursuing” leads in connection to Friday night’s shooting that sent five people to the hospital, Hamden Mayor Curt Balzano Leng said in an update on Monday.

“The police are actively pursuing leads in the investigation of the Friday night party shooting and met with partner agencies for intelligence briefings today,” Leng said in a statement. “All resources are being utilized in order to identify and bring to justice the individual responsible for this heinous act of violence.”

The shooting occurred during a massive house party on Choate Avenue. Prior to Friday night's shooting, at 7:20 p.m., Hamden Police were called to an Exeter Road home concerning a trespassing complaint. The homeowner told police that several people were walking on her front lawn, police said. Police had said there were reports of people drunkenly passed out on lawns.

An officer saw numerous motor vehicles parked in the area and there was "a large party at 937 Choate Avenue," according to Capt. Ronald Smith said. The officer concluded that while there were a large number of guests, "the music was not unreasonably loud," police said. An estimated 500-plus people were at the party.

Police stressed that the homeowner and guests were extremely cooperative. The officer told the homeowner to ask the guests to leave by 10 p.m. and the homeowner offered to send guests home by 9 p.m. The shooting broke out while police were on the scene around 8:45 p.m.

Police say the suspect was an attendee at the party and is described as a light-skinned black male in his early 20s with a thin build, "pock-marked face," a small amount of hair on chin, wearing a black hat (backwards), T-shirt and blue jeans, police said.

See also: Mass House Party Shooting May Be Connected To Shooting Of Child, 8: Police