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Potatoes Spark Fight Between Brothers

March 31, 2013, 9:00 pm
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(Bridgeport, CT – April 1, 2013) -- Two brothers were released without bond after a disagreement over potatoes led to a confrontation.
Officers Carlos Pabon and Pasquale Speranza were sent to a Brewster Street address Sunday afternoon on a report of two brothers fighting.
William Downey, 53, of Stratford, stated he was in the kitchen making potatoes when his brother, John Downey, 57, stated he was making too many potatoes and punched him.
John Downey, of Milford, admitted to throwing a punch at his brother and also stated that William Downey had pulled out a cooking pot and tried hitting him with it.
William Downey acknowledged that he in fact wielded a pot and tried to hit his brother with it but only after his brother had thrown the punch at him.
Both brothers were arrested for disorderly conduct and released on promises to appear in court.
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Man Hid Drugs in Handlebars, Lazy Eye Helps with ID

April 8, 2013, 9:00 pm
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(Bridgeport, CT – April 9, 2013) – A 54-year-old man was arrested after a tip led to drugs hidden in his bicycle handlebars. While on patrol, Officers Carlos Vazquez, Jorge Larregui and Joshua Ortiz received information from a concerned citizen about a man with a lazy eye who was riding a mountain bike and selling drugs. The citizen stated that the man hid the drugs in the handlebars of his bike.
On Monday at about 10:45 p.m., the officers saw a man matching the description in the area of Pembroke and Arctic streets and stopped and spoke to him. Officers noticed that the tip of the handlebar was broken and that a gray plastic bag covered it. The man, Eugene Edmonds, of Capital Avenue, didn’t reply when Vazquez asked about the bag. Police then found eight glassine folds of heroin from the hollow tube.
Edmonds was charged with possession of narcotics and possession with intent to sell. Bond was set at $10,000.
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Two Felons Deny Gun was Theirs

April 8, 2013, 9:00 pm
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(Bridgeport, CT – April 9, 2013) – Two felons denied ownership of a firearm located in their car Monday after a motor vehicle stop.
Officers Ian Schumaker and Adrian Elem pulled the vehicle over at 3:40 a.m. after they witnessed the driver, Carlos Martinez, 28, run a red light on State Street.
The officers discovered that Martinez had a suspended license so he was removed from the car. The officers then discovered that the passenger, Raymond Sierra, 19, also had a suspended license. He also was removed from the car so it could be towed.
When they inventoried the car, they located a pistol under the passenger seat of the car. Both denied it belonged to them.
In a bag, officers found an ammunition magazine that contained nine rounds. They also found five white pills which, based on the markings, were determined to be oxycodone.
Police also learned that the license plate on the car was stolen.
Both men were charged with criminal possession of a firearm, possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, carrying a pistol without a permit and possession of narcotics. Martinez also was charged with motor vehicle violations.
Bond on the drug and weapons counts was set at $25,000 each.
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Bridgeport Police, City Youth Cast Lines in Beardsley Park

April 21, 2013, 9:00 pm
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(Bridgeport, CT) – As his daughter Silvia fished for the first time, Maurice Grey could see the writing on the wall.
“Who knows. This might catch on and she’ll get hooked,” Grey said Saturday. “I can already see what happens. She’ll say, ‘Let’s go out and do this again,’ and we’ll have to go out and buy a rod for me. That wouldn’t be a bad thing.”
That was what Police Officer Michael Bouchard, a school resource officer, had in mind when he envisioned the first fishing rodeo. It was a collaboration between the police department and community. After raising about $4,000, Bouchard and the department bought 300 fishing rods for city school children and planned a day of fishing and barbecuing at Beardsley Park.
The job of the children was to show up and have fun.
Bouchard had hoped parents might stick around too and enjoy a beautiful day with their kids. That’s exactly what happened.
“I couldn’t have imagined a better day,” said Mayor Bill Finch, who joined hundreds of families to cast lines with his sons. “Our kids need to get out and enjoy the beautiful outdoors and the great natural resources our city has to offer.”
The idea was simple. Bouchard grew up with a love for fishing. As a school police officer, he saw value in giving Bridgeport’s young people a chance to experience something new, something that can become a generational bonding experience for parents and children.
He and coworkers started fundraising, lined up sponsors, secured a great deal for 300 fishing rod starter kits and put the word out to all city schools.
More than 200 children showed up on April 13 for lessons of the basics of fishing and safety.
Then on Saturday, close to 300 showed up to celebrate the beginning of fishing season. At the end of the day, the children got to keep the fishing gear.
Jaelyn Jones, 7, was all smiles when she celebrated catching her first fish. It was her father Rondell’s job to throw it back.
The fishing derby started at 9 a.m. Saturday. Lines were cast by 10 a.m. Trophies and bragging rights happened at noon followed by a cookout.
“Every time the department puts out the call, the community responds,” said Police Chief Joseph L. Gaudett Jr. “In December, that generosity allowed us to give out 300 free bikes to city school children. Now, it is fishing poles and a great family day.”
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Man Charged with Running Down Two People

April 22, 2013, 9:00 pm
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(Bridgeport, CT – April 23, 2013) – A 31-year-old man ran down two people with his car Monday and then proceeded to kick and punch one of the victims.
The suspect threatened to kill the victim if he “snitched” by telling police the incident was anything but an accident.
The assault happened at Washington Avenue and Coleman Street.
Witnesses told Officer Sandra Gonzalez that the vehicle drove directly into the victims, who were standing at the corner. After striking the victims, the driver got out and started assaulting the injured man on the ground. The driver, identified as Alberto Rios, then fled on foot, leaving his car. A passenger in Rios’ car was invited to join in the assault but opted out and fled the scene.
The two victims, a 30-year-old man and his 34-year-old girlfriend, were taken to Saint Vincent’s Medical Center. The female victim is the sister of Rios’ ex-girlfriend.
She said Rios had been terrorizing the family since the break-up.
The male victim suffered a broken leg and broken arm and required surgery. The woman suffered less serious injuries.
Rios later contacted police and admitted he was responsible for the hit-and-run. He told Officers Migdalia Ayala and Elizabeth Santora that that he saw someone who he had a “beef” with, saw the person reach for his waistband and instinctively drove toward the person. He did not mention beating the man on the ground.
He claimed he fled the scene because he feared for his life.
Rios was charged with two counts of first-degree assault, two-counts of first-degree reckless endangerment, third-degree assault, second-degree threatening and breach of peace. Bond was set at $25,000.

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Gang Unit Seizes Combat Shotgun, Rifle

June 16, 2013, 9:00 pm
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(Bridgeport, CT – June 17, 2013) -- Members from the State Police Gangs Unit arrested four men Friday and seized a combat shotgun with a 20-round drum and a .22-caliber rifle.
The unit had been working in the area of Yaremich Drive in the North End of Bridgeport when they received information about an assault weapon in a motor vehicle.
Task Force members, assisted by a State Police K-9, Bridgeport detectives and Bridgeport patrol officers, set up surveillance in the area.
Task Force officers observed several males standing by two vehicles. After a short period of time, a detective on the task force received information that that one of those vehicles contained an assault-style firearm.
Task Force members then observed two males walking what appeared to be a nylon green bag that contained a large rifle type weapon, moving the weapon from one vehicle to another.
Once the weapon was placed in the rear of the second vehicle, officers moved in, detained four men and located a Cobray “Streetsweeper” 12- gauge semi-auto shotgun with pistol grip, a 20 round drum and collapsible stock.
In the other vehicle Task Force officers located in the trunk a .22 caliber Browning rifle with a scope.
Police are not identifying the suspects at this time because of an ongoing investigation.
The suspects were charged with criminal possession of a firearm, criminal possession of an assault weapon, weapon in a motor vehicle and one of the males had an outstanding arrest warrant for Violation of Probation. Bonds ranged from $100,000 to $25,000.
Sgt. Jason Amato, a member of the Gangs Task Force stated that, “Due to the joint effort by all involved units and members, we were successful in taking another dangerous weapon off the city’s streets.”

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Man Escorted by Security from Bar, Crashes into Bouncer’s Vehicle

June 17, 2013, 9:00 pm
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Man Escorted by Security from Bar, Crashes into Bouncer’s Vehicle
(Bridgeport, CT – June 18, 2013) – A man who was thrown out of a Madison Avenue bar apparently waited outside for the bouncer to leave and crashed into his vehicle.
Officer Eric Holder was sent to Madison and Taft avenues early Monday on a hit-and-run accident.
He was told that the victim, who was working security at Los Magueyes, a bar at 750 Madison Ave., had ejected a patron who was giving him a hard time and refused to leave at closing time. A short time later, the victim was in his 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee when the same man sideswiped his vehicle and took off.
The suspect was attempting to flee on Taft Avenue when he crashed into a parked truck. The driver and his passenger then fled on foot.
Police put out a description over the radio, and a police officer spotted the driver, later identified as Hugo Adolfo-Cante, 26, of Pine Street, in the area of Madison Avenue and Center Street Extension.
The driver of the Jeep identified him as the driver of the other vehicle and stated he believed the incident was in retaliation for the earlier incident at the bar.
Adolfo-Cante was charged with evading responsibility, operating without a license, criminal attempt at second-degree assault and three counts of reckless endangerment.

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Teens Arrested, Gun Recovered

June 17, 2013, 9:00 pm
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Teens Arrested, Gun Recovered
(Bridgeport, CT – June 18, 2013) – A motor- vehicle stop Monday netted a .25-caliber handgun and two potential suspects in earlier gunfire.
Sgt. Jason Amato, of the State Police Gang Unit, developed information that the people responsible for gunfire Sunday on Willow Street were back in the Mill Hill section of the East Side.
He spotted the suspect’s vehicle and radioed for patrol officers to assist in a motor vehicle stop. Officer Michael Bouchard responded and attempted to pull over the car on Boston Avenue. The driver slowed but didn’t stop. He proceeded for several more blocks until police blocked him in and he got stuck in stopped traffic.
Police took the occupants out at gunpoint. The passenger, Damion Nimely, 19, was found in possession of loaded .25-caliber pistol and charged with carrying a pistol without a permit, weapon in a motor vehicle and interfering with police. His bond was set at $50,000. The driver, 17, also was arrested on criminal and motor vehicle counts.
The rear seat passenger was released without charges. The investigation is ongoing.
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Suspect Fires Gun at Police During Melee at Party

July 7, 2013, 9:00 pm
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Suspect Fires Gun at Police During Melee at Party
(Bridgeport, CT -- An 18-year-old city man faces attempted murder charges after firing a .357-caliber handgun at police officers who responded to a fight inside a club.
At 11:08 p.m. Saturday, Officer Stacey Lyons was dispatched to the German Club, 416 Horace St., on reports of an armed fight inside.
As she was pulling into the lot, a fleeing white vehicle nearly hit her cruiser head-on and fled. Numerous people were seen fleeing the building, including some who apparently jumped from the second floor.
As Officer Lyons arrived, people urged police to get upstairs as quickly as possible.
Officers went up the stairway and encountered George John, of Dover St., with a revolver tucked in his waistband. As officers grappled with him, the suspect fired a shot. Additional officers responded and briefly detained nearly 100 people.
John was charged with five counts of attempted murder of a police officer. It is believed that John attempted to shoot one or more of the officers.
The officers taking John into custody were Sarah Nestlen, Adam Rozum, Stavros Mirtsopoulos, John Topolski and Keith Hanson. Police recovered Taurus .357-caliber revolver and the discharged bullet.
"Any one of these officers could have been killed in this encounter," said Assistant Police Chief James Nardozzi. "This is what we had: a few hundred young people attending an event hosted by a promoter who cared more about profit than safety. The result was predictable. I'm grateful the officers are okay."
The promoter was identified as Robert Blackwell. He was taken into custody and charged with multiple counts of risk of injury to a minor. The event was advertised as an "over 18" party but police determined that juveniles were allowed entry and no efforts were taken by Blackwell to ensure that weapons were not taken into the club.
Police also recovered a small-caliber, loaded pistol while checking the building.
"These officers showed great restraint under very difficult and dangerous circumstances," Nardozzi said. 

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Police Arrest Suspect, Seize Guns, Cash, Drugs

July 17, 2013, 9:00 pm
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(Bridgeport, CT – July 18, 2013) -- The State Police Gang Task Force executed a search and seizure warrant at 1020 Hancock Ave. Wednesday and seized two handguns, along with cash and drugs.
Antonio Small, 21, of that address, was arrested after jumping from a third-floor porch in an effort to escape police.
Members of the police Emergency Services Unit reacted immediately, grabbing Small as he hung from the exterior of the porch. Due to their quick response, ESU members on the third- and second-floor landings were able to safely pull Small onto the second-floor porch before he fell three stories, according to Bridgeport Sgt. Jason Amato.
He was charged with possession of narcotics with intent to sell, possession with intent to sell within 1,500 feet of a school, operating a drug factory, destruction of property during search warrant, tampering with evidence, interfering with police and theft of a firearm.

Gang Task Force officers had received information that occupants of the apartment were selling narcotics and were in possession of several illegal firearms. Bridgeport SWAT, under the command of Deputy Chief Anthony Armeno and Capt. James Viadero, made entry into the third-floor residence.
At that time, Small was throwing items out of the third-floor kitchen window into the neighbor’s yard. One of the items thrown from the window was a loaded semi-automatic firearm. Bridgeport’s ESU members who were positioned on the rear third-floor porch area watched as Small then ran out of the rear doorway to his apartment and leapt off of the third floor landing.
ESU members reacted immediately, grabbing Small as he was hanging from the exterior of the porch.
Task Force Officers seized the loaded firearm from the neighboring yard along with crack cocaine and packaging. A subsequent search of the residence located another loaded .40 caliber semi-auto pistol, packaging materials and cash. The pistol thrown out of the window was found to have been stolen from Norwalk approximately a year earlier.
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Juvenile Arrested with Gun

August 11, 2013, 9:00 pm
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(Bridgeport, CT – Aug. 12, 2013) – A 16-year-old youth faces weapons charges after being caught with a gun at a house party.
Officers Trevor Niestemski and David Uliano were sent to a Sage Avenue home Friday night on a disturbance.
As officers approached the porch, the teen began running up the exterior stairs and into the house, grabbing his waistband as he fled.
Suspecting he might have a gun, Niestemski and Uliano chased him inside and observed him throw a handgun into rear bathroom.
The youth was charged with carrying a pistol without a permit and interfering with police. A loaded .45-caliber handgun was recovered.
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Man Accidentally Shoots Himself in Groin

August 11, 2013, 9:00 pm
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Man Accidentally Shoots Himself in Groin

(Bridgeport, CT – Aug. 12, 2013) – A Bloomfield man was injured after he accidentally shot himself in the groin.

Officer Luis Moura was sent to Saint Vincent’s Medical Center at 3:30 a.m. on Saturday on a report of a person shot. Moura alerted other officers that the injury appeared to have been self inflicted and that victim’s car and the firearm were on Edgemore Road.

Officer Christopher Robinson responded there and, with the assistance of the fire department, gained access to the car and secured the loaded .40-caliber handgun and other evidence.

The victim had a license to carry the gun. No charges were filed but the gun was taken to police headquarters for safe keeping.

 

 

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Four Arrested After Reported Gunshots

August 11, 2013, 9:00 pm
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Four Arrested After Reported Gunshots
(Bridgeport, CT – Aug. 12, 2013)—Four people were arrested Sunday after a report of shots fired on Hillhouse Avenue.
The two victims told police that they were in front of that address when they were approached by a male who kept asking them where they were from. The man ultimately left and was picked up by the occupants of a black vehicle. A short time later, the occupants of the car exited, approached the house and started trouble.
Two shots were fired but no one was struck, and the assailants fled in the vehicle. The victims were able to get the license plate number.
Officer Thomas Lattanzio spotted it a short time later at Park and Ogden streets. He conducted a felony stop and he, Officer Bruno Rodrigues and other officers ordered occupants to show their hands. They all complied except for the front seat passenger, later identified as Tyler Vaughan, 19. He was removed from the car and police founded a loaded handgun in his pocket. He was arrested after a struggle.
The three other occupants also were charged and police recovered a stun gun in the car.
A 16-year-old juvenile was charged with criminal attempt at first-degree assault, reckless endangerment and other weapons offenses.
Vaughan was charged with assault on a police officer, conspiracy to commit first-degree assault and weapons counts. His bond was set at $100,000.
Jose Gullap, 27, and Selwyn Gonzalez Jr., 18, were charged with conspiracy and with possessing a weapon in a motor vehicle. Their bonds were $75,000 each.
The handgun and stun gun were seized.

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Woman Arrested After Shots Fired

August 18, 2013, 9:00 pm
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(Bridgeport, CT -- Aug. 19, 2013) – A 32-year-old woman was held on $75,000 bond after gunfire and a police chase.
Lt. William Bailey and Officer Gerald Lavin were in the 500 block of Trumbull Avenue Saturday when they observed a car pull up a block away. A male got out of the car and fired numerous shots before jumping back into the car and fleeing.
The driver, later identified as Amelia Rhodes, of Bridgeport, sped off, nearly striking the police vehicle, and led police on a chase. She crashed in the area of Chopsey Hill Road and Summit Street.
Both occupants fled on foot, including the male passenger who fled while still holding the gun.
He eluded police.
Officers Jeffrey Long, Jeremy Kelly and Adam Rozum responded to the area and began searching for the female driver. They heard the sound of branches breaking as if someone was running through a wooded area and then a splash. The three officers waded waste deep into a creek and, after a search, observed the soles of two sneakers inside a concrete drainage pipe.
The officers ordered Rhodes to come out. She wiggled out and was arrested. Bond was set at $75,000 on a series of motor vehicle and criminal charges.
The incident remains under investigation. 

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Three Women Charged After Altercation At Remington Street Gathering

August 18, 2013, 9:00 pm
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(Bridgeport, CT -- Aug. 19, 2013) – Three women face charges after an early morning dispute Sunday at a gathering on Remington Street.
Officer Mathew Szymczak responded to the 300 block of Remington Street at about 2:30 a.m. on a report of shots fired. The alleged victim told police that she had invited the three suspects to her apartment for the evening but after an argument tried to usher them out.
One of the guests, Kiiarah Sharpe, 20, of Waterbury, informed the victim that she would leave when she felt like leaving. The situation turned physical altercation when the victim put her hands on Sharpe to usher her out and Sharpe attacked her.
After the incident began, the victim’s brother woke up and came to his sister’s assistance. He was pushing the three women outside where the scuffle continued and Sharpe called out to one of the other women “to go get your gun.” According to the victims, one of other women, Octavia Jordan, 23, of Waterbury, retrieved her handgun, racked it and pointed it at the victims but did not fire any shots.
The victims fled inside.
Szymczak issued a radio broadcast for the vehicle and as he was leaving he spotted the car on Boston Avenue. He pulled over the car and ordered the occupants to show their hands out the window.
He, Sgt. Louis Cortello and Officer Michael Davila, removed the three occupants from the vehicle and inquired whether there was a weapon inside.
Jordan said she had a licensed gun in the glove compartment, which police recovered along with ammunition in a plastic bag.
Police checked all three for warrants and found none.
Jordan was charged with second-degree threatening, reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct and held on $10,000 bond. Sharpe was charged with third-degree assault, third-degree strangulation and disorderly conduct, and her bond was set at $5,000. The third occupant, Taquana Hendricks, 20, of Bridgeport, was charged with disorderly conduct. Her bond was set at $500.
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Suspect Arrested for Threats; Police Find Victim Asleep

August 18, 2013, 9:00 pm
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(Bridgeport, CT -- Aug. 19, 2013) – A city man was arrested for making threats over an unpaid debt.
Officer Paul Cari responded to a home in the 1300 block of Kossuth Street Friday evening and encountered the suspect, identified as Martquice Dukes, 23, of Noble Avenue, leaning against a car and yelling and waving his hands. He stated loudly that he wanted his money and was not leaving until he got it. After acting aggressively toward the police officer as if he wanted to fight, he was placed in handcuffs as police investigated.
Police spoke to the father of the alleged victim, who stated he was concerned for his son because of an earlier phone call in which his son stated that people were after him.
The father told police he came to the scene earlier and spoke to his son but left a short time later, uneasy about what had transpired. He came back and met with police after getting another call that police were at his son’s house.
Police unsuccessfully tried to make contact with the son and, as more officers arrived and concerned for his well being, forced open the door to his apartment. Inside they located a loaded shotgun but not the victim. Cari and Sgt. James Geremia encountered a locked bedroom door and, based on what had transpired and the alleged threats, forced open that door. They found the victim asleep.
He awoke and was disoriented so police contacted medics to check him out. He appeared as if he was under the influence of narcotics.
Dukes was charged with second-degree threatening, second-degree harassment and breach of peace.
The shotgun, along with various types of ammunition, were seized from the victim’s apartment.
The alleged victim stated that after Dukes started pounding on his door and, fearing he had a gun, the victim locked himself in the apartment and fell asleep.
The victim was checked for warrants and released to his father’s care. 

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Assault Suspect Arrested After Seeking Treatment at Hospital

September 2, 2013, 9:00 pm
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Assault Suspect Arrested After Seeking Treatment at Hospital
(Bridgeport, CT – Sept. 3, 2013) – A 32-year-old assault suspect was arrested after arriving for treatment at the same hospital as the woman he slashed with a broken beer bottle.
Officer Michael Novia responded to the 1000 block of Madison Avenue Saturday just before 5 a.m. on an assault report. He found blood at the scene but no victims. He and other officers were checking the area when they were alerted to an assault victim at Saint Vincent’s Medical Center. He also was advised that a man who matched the description of the suspect also was admitted to the emergency room.
Officer Thomas Harper stayed with the suspect while Harper spoke with the victims and a witness.
The slashing victim stated that she was parked in her friend’s driveway while her friend, who lives there, picked up some items for her son. The suspect, Jose Oliva, an upstairs neighbor, showed up in his truck and began yelling and cursing about the vehicle blocking the common driveway.
When the friend, who is about 5 feet tall and weighs about 100 pounds, came back outside, Oliva confronted her. She verbally responded and he pushed her against a fence and unsuccessfully tried to punch her. She stated she then punched him in the forehead.
The victims were trying to leave when Oliva grabbed a beer bottle and threw it at the car. He threw a second bottle that smashed and picked up the broken bottle and slashed the victim in the arm.
Police questioned Oliva at the hospital and he downplayed the incident as a misunderstanding among family members. He is not related to any of the victims.
Oliva was treated for lacerations to his fingers and then charged with second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and breach of peace. His bond was set at $25,000.
The injured victim suffered two lacerations that required 18 stitches to close. 

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Three Men Charged with Attempted Robbery

September 2, 2013, 9:00 pm
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(Bridgeport, CT – Sept. 3, 2013) – Three males were arrested Sunday for trying to rob three men in the area of Federal Street and Madison Avenue.
Officer Thomas Harper was sent to the area on a report of a street fight and encountered two of the victims. Harper learned that the three victims were walking down the street when they saw a group of younger males ride past on bicycles. One of the victims told Harper he had a bad feeling that something was going to happen. The group of young men then turned around and rode back to them and a second group of males approached from behind and circled around them.
One of the victims was struck on the head with a rock and the group set upon the three, attempting to rob them. The victims attempted to defend themselves but were outnumbered.
The suspects fled after several passing motorists began honking their horns and, based on the victims’ descriptions, police put out a radio broadcast for the suspects.
Officer Roberto Quintanilla reported seeing a group of youths riding bikes on Center Street. They scattered but he was able to detain one of them.
Harper brought the victims to the location and they identified the man as one of their assailants.
A short time later, Quintanilla detained two other young males and the victims again identified them as the would-be robbers.
The third victim couldn’t be located in the area. After checking hospitals, police found him at his home.
Police charged a 17-year-old and Kevin Cabrera, 21, of 800 Hallett St., and Jesus Javier, also 21, of 1072 E. Main St., with criminal attempt at first-degree robbery, second-degree assault, breach of peace and interfering with police. The two adults were held on $50,000. The juvenile was issued a juvenile summons but was detained for New York Police Department on an outstanding warrant.
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Wecoming Deforest Avenue to our Block Watch family

September 12, 2013, 9:00 pm
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City’s Newest Block Watch Hits the Street
(Bridgeport, CT – Sept 13, 2013) – The city’s newest Block Watch will meet for the first time tonight at 28 Deforest Ave. at 5:30 p.m. and residents will then conduct a walking citizen patrol.
Police also have worked with residents to create two other new Block Watch groups on Melbourne Street in the City’s North End and Brook Street in the East Side.

“These grassroots groups play such a big role in keeping our neighborhoods stable and safe,” said Mayor Bill Finch. “When people are invested in their community and work with each other and police, our communities become better places to live for everyone.
“Those Block Watch signs are a symbol that this is a street where residents care about each other and look out for one another.” 

 

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Police Arrest Suspect in Sept. 10 Homicide, Shootings

September 15, 2013, 9:00 pm
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Police Arrest Suspect in Sept. 10 Homicide, Shootings
(Bridgeport, CT – Sept. 16, 2013) – Police have arrested an 18-year-old man in connection with a Sept. 10 shooting that left one man dead and four others wounded.
Roderick “Riki” Rodgers, whose last known address was 77 Manila Place, was arrested at approximately noon today on a warrant charging him with murder and four counts of attempted murder.
He was being questioned by police Monday afternoon. He is expected to be arraigned tomorrow in Superior Court.
Rodgers was charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Christopher Pettway, 26, of Bridgeport, last Tuesday afternoon. Four other males, who range in age from 15 to 19, were wounded but are expected to recover.
Police say the motive remains under investigation but appears to stem from a previous dispute involving Rodgers. Rodgers is known to frequent Stratford Avenue and is known to police.
Witnesses at the shooting scene identified Rodgers as the suspect.
“Detectives did an outstanding job making an arrest in this case so quickly. This is another example of the community working with police to help solve crimes and detectives working tirelessly,” said Mayor Bill Finch. “Police cannot do this alone and I believe this arrest speaks to the relationships that have been built.”
Mayor Finch expressed condolences to the Pettway family.
According to Capt. James Viadero, who heads the Detective Bureau, a warrant was secured for Rodgers on Friday and detectives actively have been seeking him.
Bridgeport Detectives Robert Martin and Eric King, of the department’s fugitive unit, had checked several locations and returned to Manila Place on Monday. They spoke with the suspect’s mother, heard activity in the house and found Rodgers inside.
He was held on a $750,000 bond.
Police continue to look for the murder weapon. Last Tuesday’s shooting was one of three that happened in the city over two days. Overnight Wednesday, a man was shot on Reservoir Avenue in nearly the same location. Then on Wednesday afternoon, a man was shot on Wood Avenue. Both men are expected to recover.
Viadero said detectives continue to investigate whether any of the three incidents are connected.
“I want to commend the detective bureau for making a quick arrest,” said Assistant Chief James Nardozzi. “There is always a danger of retaliatory violence and this case was no different. The patrol division and investigators did an outstanding job in the aftermath to prevent that from happening.”
Those who continue to commit violence with firearms will be pursued and jailed, he said.
“Gun violence will not be tolerated here in Bridgeport. It’s time to put the guns away. We have an obligation to the community. We have an obligation to our victims. It’s an obligation we take seriously.”
Detectives Ada Curet, Paul Ortiz and Heitor Teixeira led the investigation.
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