WHPD: St. Joseph Shooting Over Relationship Spat

WEST HARTFORD, CT — An argument among two young men and a female college student over a relationship led to a shooting and car crash at and near the University of St. Joseph campus Friday.

At a press conference in West Hartford Monday, WHPD Lt. Thomas Lazure of the detective division released added information regarding a wild brouhaha Friday night.

Eventually, a shooting suspect was taken into custody late Sunday night.

According to the West Hartford Police Department, officers formally took 22-year-old Darnell Barnes in custody shortly before 11:30 p.m. Sunday after he was identified Friday.

Police said Barnes was charged with: first-degree assault; first-degree reckless endangerment; evading responsibility; first-degree criminal mischief; and second-degree assault with a motor vehicle.

Lazure said, in addition to those charges, Barnes is also facing criminal attempt at murder and unlawful discharge of a firearm charges.

According to the WHPD, Barnes, who reportedly is a former Bristol resident now hailing from Hartford, is being held on $1 million bond and was scheduled to appear in court Monday.

Lazure said this was an isolated incident and the public is not in danger.

"This incident was isolated between three individuals — two males, one female, one of which is a student at the university,"Lazure said, adding the female was the USJ student and the two young males involved were not.

"There was an altercation and it was relationship related," Lazure said. "All three individuals do know each other and they all have a history."

West Hartford police Friday morning were initially investigating a serious motor vehicle accident near the University of St. Joseph, 1678 Asylum Ave., that reportedly included gunfire.

According to the WHPD, at 2:20 a.m. Friday police were called to a parking area on the west side of campus for a report of gunshots.

Shortly thereafter, police said, WHPD units responded to a single-care rollover on Albany Avenue near Bainton Road.

West Hartford police said the driver, who has yet to be identified, sustained "serious injuries" and was taken to an area hospital.

Lazure said Monday the victim is speaking and his condition is not life threatening.

As a result of the incident, Albany Avenue was closed between Steele Road and Prospect Avenue while the WHPD investigates. It eventually reopened.

After the incident, the WHPD was able to determine the make and model of the suspect's vehicle and the direction it was traveling, leading them to notify Massachusetts authorities, Lazure said.

Later Friday morning, Massachusetts State Police reported sighting the vehicle Barnes drove to flee the scene in their state and commenced a manhunt in the Blandford/Russell, Mass., area.

According to Massachusetts State Police, troopers located the vehicle Barnes was driving, a black Nissan Pathfinder with New Mexico plates, on the west side of the Massachusetts Turnpike in Blandford, Mass.

The Massachusetts State Police Special Tactical Operations Team made an approach to the vehicle and determined Barnes was not inside it, Massachusetts police said.

In addition, no firearms were recovered from the vehicle, Mass. police said.

Over the weekend, Lazure said tips were followed up on and other departments became involved, including the Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and Farmington, Conn., police departments.

Lazure said Barnes eventually turned himself in to Farmington police at about 10:18 p.m. Sunday, who then transferred him to West Hartford.

Barnes has an attorney and has pleaded the 5th Amendment to the WHPD, Lazure said.

As for the weapon, Lazure described it as a 9-mm pistol, though the model wasn't yet known. He also said Barnes owned the gun legally.

"Darnell Barnes had a valid pistol permit that has, since, been revoked," Lazure said.

Meanwhile, the WHPD released more specifics about what happened, what didn't happen and what could have happened.

Lazure said the altercation began on the USJ campus, resulting in gunshots.

Then, he said, the suspect and victim got in separate vehicles and engaged in a chase, with gunshots also involved, leading to the rollover accident.

"We know shots were fired on campus and shots were also fired on Albany Avenue," Lazure said.

He also said drugs did not play a role in the incident, saying the suspect was on campus to engage in a relationship dispute.

"It's relationship based. The argument was over a relationship and that's why he was there," Lazure said.

All told, he said, this could have been worse.

"By the grace of God, nobody died. There were rounds being fired and its on a college campus. It's a senseless act of violence that occurred here in town. We know it. We felt it. This town is not used to this type of stuff," Lazure said.

"One thing that we will do at this agency is we will chase you to the ends of the earth to track you down if you commit a crime of violence here."

Anyone with information about this case should contact the West Hartford Police Department at 860-523-5203, or use the WHPD Tip Line/email at 860-570-8969 and/or whpdtips@westhartfordct.gov.