3 Arrested, Guns Recovered After Shots Fired Report In Norwalk: Police

NORWALK, CT — Officers arrested two men and a teen and recovered three guns after receiving a report of shots fired Wednesday afternoon in South Norwalk, according to police.

In a news release, Police Sgt. Sofia Gulino said the department received a report around noon of shots fired in the area of Merritt Street and three men with firearms running toward Chestnut Street.

Police quickly found a 16-year-old who was in possession of a semiautomatic handgun on Chestnut Street, Gulino said.

Minutes later, officers found two men, Jahmari Rodriguez, 18, of Bridgeport, and Jermaine Joseph, 19, of Norwalk, hiding on the property of a Bell Avenue business, as well as two more semiautomatic handguns, Gulino said.

After interviewing witnesses and viewing video evidence, officers were able to link the firearms to the men, Gulino said.

No injuries were reported as a result of the shooting, however an occupied vehicle on Merritt Street was struck by gunfire, Gulino said.

The incident also prompted South Norwalk Neighborhood School, located on Concord Street, and Side by Side Charter School, located on Chestnut Street, to be placed in "secure mode" during the incident.

Gulino said police communication with both schools was "immediate and ongoing," and additional officers were dispatched to the schools for added security as a precaution.

"The combined efforts of the community member who provided quick information, the dispatchers who effectively relayed critical details, and the officers that responded rapidly to a shots fired call were all essential to the fast resolution," Deputy Chief James Walsh said in a news release. "The officers who took an armed individual into custody with minimal use of force, and with no injuries to the suspects or anyone else, were key to keeping everyone in our community safe during this dangerous situation."

Rodriguez was charged with carrying a pistol without a permit, interfering with an officer and third-degree criminal trespass. Joseph was charged with carrying a pistol without a permit, interfering with an officer and third-degree criminal trespass.

Both men were held on a $25,000 bond and are scheduled to appear in court later this month.

The teen was charged with illegal possession of narcotics, possession of a high-capacity magazine and carrying a pistol without a permit. He was taken to juvenile detention, Gulino said.