Police have arrested three people — and are searching for one more — in connection to a New Year’s Eve shootout that injured a bystander.
In an interview with the cops, one of the alleged shooters, a 53-year-old man from West Haven, said he started carrying a firearm for protection after his friend, David London, was shot and killed in 2019. He claimed to have fired in New Haven on New Year’s Eve in self-defense.
The other alleged shooter — who is believed to have hit a bystander — has a past felony conviction, and is therefore prohibited from legally possessing firearms.
On Wednesday, New Haven Police Capt. Brendan Borer provided updates on the investigation during a press conference held at police headquarters at 1 Union Ave.
According to Borer, the shooting took place at around 7:55 p.m. on Dec. 31 at the corner of Chapel Street and Kensington Street.
Heshimu Barker, a 53-year-old man standing on the sidewalk, was allegedly caught on camera brandishing a weapon and firing at three occupants of a Mercedes-Benz SUV. The car then drove across Chapel Street and struck a pole at the intersection of Chapel Street and Orchard Street.
After the crash, Borer said, three people exited the vehicle and began to flee. The driver of the car, a 27-year-old man, was seen on camera shooting in the direction of Barker, who returned fire from behind a Honda.
A 35-year-old woman from New Haven who was walking down Chapel Street was struck and injured by the gunfire. Police believe she was hit by a bullet fired by the SUV’s driver.
Barker and the vehicle’s three occupants fled the scene, said Borer. Barker, the 27-year-old driver, and a 20-year-old male passenger have all been arrested in connection to the shooting. Borer said the police department is still searching for the third occupant of the car.
State court records show that Barker was arrested on Jan. 27 and has been charged with attempt to commit first-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, illegal discharge of a firearm, criminal possession of a firearm, and carrying a pistol without a permit. He hasn’t entered pleas to any of those charges, and is currently being held on a $250,000 bond. Court records also show that Barker was arrested in his home by the West Haven Police Department for drug-related offenses on Dec. 31. The total bond for all his outstanding criminal cases adds up to $500,000.
The 27-year-old driver was arrested on Feb. 2 on charges of first-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, illegal discharge of a firearm, criminal possession of a firearm, and carrying a pistol without a permit. He has not yet entered pleas to those charges, and is being held on a $300,000 bond.
And the 20-year-old male passenger was arrested on Jan. 29 on one count of illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle. He has not yet entered a plea to that charge, and has been released from custody on a $50,000 bond.
According to Barker’s arrest warrant affidavit, the shooting victim told officers that she saw a heavy-set man known as “Shaffa Bling” outside of Dux Market. She said “Shaffa” exited the SUV, pulled out a gun, and fired at occupants of the car. As she fled down Chapel Street, she was struck in the shoulder. She said the car’s occupants were firing in her direction.
Borer said on Wednesday that the woman was treated at Yale New Haven Hospital, and her injuries were found to not be life-threatening. She has since been released from the hospital.
Barker’s arrest warrant affidavit also indicates that he was identified on camera with a weapon outside of Dux Market on New Year’s Eve. According to the affidavit, Barker told city police officers that an occupant of the car fired at him after saying that Barker “has something to do with killing my uncle.” Out of self-defense, Barker said he then fired back.
Barker told officers that he had been threatened in the past because people believe he was involved in the murder of David London, a man from New Haven who was killed at 46 years old in 2019.
The SUV’s 20-year-old passenger, Ja’Twan Robinson, was being supervised by electronic monitoring when the shooting occurred. According to a separate arrest warrant affidavit, Robinson’s GPS coordinates match the location and timing of the New Year’s Eve shooting.
In an interview with the police, Robinson identified himself in video footage of the suspects fleeing the scene. The affidavit states that Robinson denied having a firearm in the vehicle and claimed to have not known Barker prior to the shooting.
Still another arrest warrant affidavit states that the 27-year-old driver was arrested on an unrelated matter on Jan. 9. During that arrest, he was found with two phones and five two-dollar bills. He invoked his right to an attorney and declined to speak with officers. Police connected him to the scene of the New Year’s Eve shooting in part through a driver’s license left behind at a car dealership where the Mercedes-Benz SUV had been leased.
There is no mention of an interview in the driver’s arrest warrant affidavit for the shooting.
The city’s most recent CompStat report shows that, through Feb. 1 of this year, there had been no homicides and seven confirmed shots fired so far. That compares to two homicides and nine confirmed shots fired by this same time last year.