A Google map of the area.
A man was shot in Ansonia’s north end Thursday night.
In a prepared statement, Ansonia Police Lt. Patrick Lynch said police were called to the intersection of Fifth and Star streets about 8 p.m. after the shooting was reported.
“The victim, a 27-year-old male, was shot once in the lower body while inside a vehicle and then drove himself to the hospital,” Lynch said. “The victim was treated for non-life threatening injuries and released from the hospital.”
Detectives have identified a possible suspect, Lynch said, and are investigating.
“Anyone with information is asked to call 203 – 735-1885; all calls will be kept confidential,” Lynch said.
Residents reached out to The Valley Indy and posted concerns on Facebook about an increase of crime in the neighborhood.
Thursday night’s shooting is the second this month in the North Main Street area.
On July 4, Sheldon Haley, a 37-year-old Beaver Street man, allegedly shot a 27-year-old man near the intersection of North Main and Fourth streets.
Police said Haley led cops on a chase into Derby, ditching a handgun along the way, before crashing in West Haven, where he was arrested.
Haley is still behind bars and is due in court Aug. 3 in the case.
The north end’s recent spate of gunplay comes months after a flurry of shootings which Police Chief Kevin Hale connected directly to the understaffing of the department’s undercover Anti-Crime Unit during a budget hearing in March.
The police department has hired a number of new officers since then, but is still short of its full complement.
The budget passed by Aldermen last month cut police spending by just under 1 percent compared to last year’s budget.
During a meeting of the city’s police commissioners July 5, First Ward Alderman Randolph Carroll asked for police to be more visible in the area.
After the meeting, Carroll noted that children often congregate in the area as well and that there has been a spate of violent incidents there in recent years.
“That corner, since I’ve been on the Board of Aldermen, there’s been two separate shootings, there’s been a stabbing,” Carroll said. “It is a bus stop for the school system. Parents want their kids to feel safe.”
Block watches have been formed in Ansonia after similar spikes in crime.
In 2009, resident Ed Norman played a key role in creating a block watch for the city’s Fourth Ward. Residents there worked with police to stem a rash of crimes there.
Another block watch formed on Ansonia’s hilltop in 2015 after a rash of burglaries and vandalism there.
Mayor David Cassetti said residents have reached out to him about crime in the north end, and he’s asked cops to be more visible.
He also said a block watch program could be a good idea too.
“If the residents want to start a block watch I’m more than willing to work with them on that,” the mayor said.
