Gunfire broke out in the downtown club district early Saturday morning, injuring two and killing one two blocks from the Yale campus on commencement weekend, according to police.
Here’s what happened, according to police spokesman Officer Dave Hartman:
Police responded at 1:57 a.m. to Crown and College streets on multiple reports of a shooting. Officers working in the nightclub district also responded after hearing gunfire.
Police found two victims at the corner. One had been shot in the leg, fracturing his femur. The other, 21-year-old Tyrell Drew, was shot in the chest and died after being transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital.
An hour later, at about 3 a.m., a third victim sought treatment at Bridgeport’s St. Vincent Medical Center, claiming to have been injured by gunfire at Crown and College. He had been shot in the left shin and the left side and was treated and released from the hospital.
“Witness statements as well as gathered evidence suggests the shooting, believed to have been perpetrated by one person, could have been the aftermath of an earlier dispute at one of the area nightclubs,” Hartman said.
“Although such incidents are rare in New Haven, the police department has placed a lot of focus on nightclubs and the behavior of their patrons. Violence at nightclubs is particularly troubling. Alcohol-fueled disputes in crowded spots pose a greater threat to bystanders. This is, however, not a crime unique to the downtown. Recent and reoccurring gun violence outside the troubled Taurus Club on Winchester Avenue, for example, has prompted the need for enhanced police presence. Such a presence is required at several other infamous spots as well.
“The Police Department plans to enhance its nightclub area patrol detail through the weekend.
“Detectives from the departments Major Crimes Division as well as the Bureau of Identification are investigating this crime. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 203 – 946-6316 or 203 – 946-6304 to speak with a detective.”
Bullets flew at the same downtown street corner in September, 2010, prompting a police crackdown on the club district.