by PAUL BASS The new haven independent
A late-night argument over a microwave oven Sunday led to a gunshot — and then, 14 hours later, police surrounding a house and blocking off the street until the alleged shooter came outside.
The incident occurred in a house on Richmond Avenue, a short street off Alston Avenue in the Westville flats.
Several tenants rent bedrooms in the house, whose owners also live in the house.
The trouble started around 2 a.m. Sunday, according to one of the home’s owners (who asked to remain anonymous).
A male tenant was angry that other tenants had removed a shared microwave from a common area, the owner said. The other tenants were worried that the man might steal it, said the owner, who said the male tenant had been served with a notice to quit last week because of ongoing problems (including “almost starting a fire” by charging lithium batteries in his room).
The male tenant became enraged and started banging on the door of another male tenant, who was asleep, according to the owner. Awakened, the second man was fearful and apparently grabbed his gun. A screaming argument ensued, during which a shot went off and a bullet grazed the enraged tenant, causing a superficial wound, according to both the owner and the police. The owner calmed the men down. Everyone went to sleep.
Around 4 p.m. the first tenant called police to report having been shot.
He came outside when police arrived and told them that another man inside had shot him, according to Police Chief Karl Jacobson. The shot man was taken to the hospital.
The police looked up the alleged shooter’s information in a database and discovered he owns a registered gun. They cleared other people from the premises. The alleged shooter was not among those who came outside.
The department called in on-duty officers from the around the city who have been certified as rifle operators. They set up around the house as officers blocked off the street from traffic.
“We knew he had a gun. But we don’t go running inside,” Jacobson said. “We got a guy saying, ‘This guy shot me.’ He’s in the house.” Based on the limited information they had, the police wanted to make sure nobody else got hurt, the chief said.
The police also sent a SWAT special response truck to the scene. (The SWAT team itself was not called in.)
After about a half hour, the police used a bullhorn to urge the man to come outside. At 5:06 p.m., the man emerged from the house, walking backwards with his hands up, to surrender. Officers handcuffed him and placed him in a cruiser. (See the above video, contributed by a reader.)
“The officers and the supervisors did a great job in taking their time and making sure everyone was safe,” Jacobson said.
The home’s owner said the alleged shooter had not come outside earlier because “I don’t think he heard them. He would have definitely come outside.”
The man is being held while officers investigate the incident, Jacobson said. Police are seeking a search warrant for the home.
