(Updated: Monday 11:44 a.m.) A teen ATV driver died Monday morning from a gunshot wound to the head, becoming the second homicide victim in a violent holiday weekend.
Two men died and two others were injured in three shootings over the weekend, and a teenage girl fended off a knife-wielding man.
Here’s what happened, according to police spokesman Officer Joe Avery:
Around 3:15 p.m. on Easter, police got a report of a 18-year-old shot while riding a “four-wheeler” on West Division Street in Newhallville. The man was shot to the head. The victim, Radcliff Deroche, died Monday of his injuries. His death was the city’s eighth homicide this year.
Deroche’s death came on the heels of another homicide in the West River area.
Saturday, right after midnight, a Hamden man was found in the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle outside 70 – 72 Derby Ave., suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
The victim, Kenneth Bagley, 31, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Meanwhile, another man improved to “fair” condition Monday after getting shot in the chest in a double-shooting in the Hill.
At 3:15 a.m. Saturday, two New Haven men were shot near Rosette and Hurlburt streets — one, who’s 23, in the chest; and another, who’s 20, in the foot.
Police are still investigating all these shootings. They ask anyone with information about the incidents to call them at 203 – 946-6304 or 203 – 946-6296 (the Tip Line).
Man Charged With Attacking Teen Girl
Meanwhile, a 41-year-old man was being arraigned in court Monday morning after he was charged with attacking a 15-year-old girl in Fair Haven shortly after midnight Saturday. The man grabbed the girl, started beating her up, and threatened to kill her, police said.
Police said the girl was able to fight back, using the knife to stab him. The girl fled. The man needed medical attention. Police caught up with him at the hospital, and the girl was able to identify him. Police charged him with kidnapping, assault, weapons, and other charges; and held him on $500,000 bond. “Officers McKnight, Ballolli, Formica and Parker from the Fair Haven section of the city were instrumental in the quick apprehension” of the man, Avery reported in a press statement. “Detectives Olivera and Barrett from the Special Investigations Unit assisted in the investigation.”
The suspect’s wounds were described as non-life-threatening.
Gun Arrests
Following a traffic stop on Middletwon Avenue, police charged two men with possession of a handgun.
Here’s what happened, according to Avery:
At 11 p.m. on Saturday, Officers Roy Davis and William Gargone pulled a car over for having illegal blue headlights. They noticed that the vehicle was unregistered, uninsured, and had a license plate violation.
When the two men in the car acted suspiciously, the officers searched the car. The found a semi-automatic handgun under the passenger seat.
The 24-year-old driver was arrested for motor vehicle violations, possession of a weapon in a car, and carrying a pistol without a permit. The 27-year-old passenger was charged with possession of a weapon in a car and carrying a pistol without a permit