NORTH HAVEN, CT — A second person has been arrested in connection with the shooting of a moped operator in North Haven, according to police.
Police responded to the area of Whitney Avenue on May 31 to reports of a shooting. Arriving officers found a man operating a moped who had sustained a gunshot wound. The victim was taken to the hospital for medical treatment, according to police.
During the initial investigation, police said the victim reported he had been followed by multiple people, intentionally struck by a motor vehicle, and then shot following a dispute.
North Haven detectives immediately responded and initiated an extensive investigation, according to police.
Police said through “neighborhood canvasses, review of surveillance footage, witness interviews, and assistance from local, state, federal, and out-of-state law enforcement partners,” detectives identified the driver of the involved motor vehicle as 20-year-old Steven Valentin of New Haven.
“The day following the incident, investigators determined that Valentin had left Connecticut and boarded a flight to Florida in an apparent attempt to avoid apprehension,” police wrote in a news release. “Upon his arrival, he was detained by local Florida law enforcement and positively identified. At that time, an arrest warrant had not yet been issued, and he was released pending the outcome of our investigation.”
An extraditable arrest warrant for Valentin was approved and signed on June 18, according to police.
“Over the following weeks, North Haven Detectives, in partnership with FBI and Task Force Officers, pursued numerous investigative leads in an effort to track Valentin's whereabouts in Florida,” police wrote.
Detectives developed information on July 6 that Valentin had boarded a train to New York, according to police.
“Detectives continued to track his movements and learned he had subsequently boarded a train from New York to New Haven, Connecticut,” police wrote. “Upon Valentin's arrival in New Haven on July 7, 2026, he was welcomed home by North Haven Detectives and FBI Task Force Officers, who were waiting to take him into custody.”
Valentin was arrested and charged with criminal attempt to commit first-degree assault, conspiracy to commit first-degree assault, and two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment.
He was held in lieu of a $75,000 bond and was scheduled to appear in court on July 8, according to police.
“This arrest marks the second arrest made in connection with this investigation, which remains active as detectives continue pursuing all available leads,” police wrote. “We thank our local, state, federal, and out-of-state law enforcement partners for their professionalism, cooperation, and continued assistance throughout this investigation, as well as the New Haven States Attorneys Office, who played a pivotal role in this investigation.
“The North Haven Police Department remains committed to protecting our community and holding violent offenders accountable. Individuals who commit violent crimes in North Haven should understand that fleeing to another town, another state, or anywhere else in the country will not shield them from facing accountability. We will pursue every lead, work alongside local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, and use every lawful resource/tool available to identify, locate, apprehend, and hold violent offenders accountable for their actions.”
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