Police: Man shot at Fairfield eatery not cooperating with investigation

State suspends restaurant’s liquor license

FAIRFIELD — Police said Tuesday the victim of a shooting at a busy sushi bar over the weekend is not cooperating with their investigation.

The shooting just after midnight Sunday at Wafu Asian Bistro on Post Road left one person injured with a gunshot wound to the arm, according to police.

The restaurant has not reopened since the incident, and the state Department of Consumer Protection suspended its liquor permit indefinitely on Tuesday after citing “several instances of dangerous and unlawful conduct.”

Fairfield Police Lt. Michael Paris said Tuesday the victim was released from the hospital within hours of being admitted, and is not cooperating with investigators.

No suspects in the shooting have been apprehended, Paris said, and it’s unknown if the man who was shot knows the assailant.

Around 12:15 a.m. Sunday, Fairfield authorities began receiving several 911 calls for shots fired at the restaurant, according to police.

As police from Fairfield and Westport arrived, several vehicles and patrons were fleeing the area, Fairfield Police Chief Robert Kalamaras wrote in a letter to the state Department of Consumer Protection.

Police learned that the bistro was hosting a large party called “Sin City.” While investigating the incident, police looked at the restaurant’s Instagram account, which “shows flyers for several DJ events and videos showing what appears to be the restaurant converted into a gentlemen’s club,” Kalamaras said in the letter.

A dispute and physical altercation started in the restaurant, resulting in gunfire. One man was struck, as well as the tile backsplash at the end of the bar “at head level where patrons were said to have been seated at the time,” Kalamaras wrote.

Video surveillance showed that once the shots were fired, many patrons fled. At least two people could be seen exchanging gunfire — about 10 shots — in the parking lot, Kalamaras wrote in the report. He said a nearby business and a parked vehicle were also struck by bullets.

Employees told police they heard shots fired following an “altercation,” but police said no gunshot victims were found at the scene.

It wasn’t until minutes later that police were notified by Bridgeport Hospital that they were treating a man who claimed to have been shot in Fairfield, police said.

“The victim suffered a bullet wound, which traveled through his left arm and into his left side,” Kalamaras wrote. The man’s injury was not life-threatening.

Police said “several items of evidentiary value” were found at the scene — including shell casings. Police found that several surveillance cameras inside the restaurant did not work, according to Kalamaras.

Authorities are asking anyone who may have cellphone footage of the encounter to contact police.

The restaurant has not reopened since the incident, a manager with Wafu Asian Bistro told Hearst Connecticut Media on Tuesday afternoon.

On Tuesday, Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull suspended the restaurant’s liquor permit. Wafu Asian Bistro cannot serve alcohol until further notice.

“Wafu was the scene of a large party, brawl, and shooting during which approximately 10 rounds were fired and at least one person was shot,” the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection said in a news release. “This incident closely follows several instances of dangerous and unlawful conduct requiring police and DCP involvement.”

The agency noted a handful of incidents this year. On June 18, just the day before the shooting, police were called to the bistro for a report of an assaulted patron.

The restaurant also hosts regular college night events, which draw underage students, according to Kalamaras.

In late March, liquor control agents found the restaurant serving alcohol to 11 minors. Earlier that month, the fire marshal had to shut down the bistro due to it being over capacity, according to the Department of Consumer Protection and the letter from Kalamaras.

In February, the Department of Consumer Protection said “a bouncer unlawfully peppersprayed six patrons without cause.”

Additionally, “Numerous local colleges and residents have complained to police about the general conduct of the premises,” the agency added.

“It is clear from these repeated events that this establishment currently poses a significant public health and safety risk to the surrounding community,” Seagull said in a statement Tuesday. “We expect our permittees to be good neighbors in their communities and to take the health and safety of their customers and neighbors seriously.”

Anyone with information can call the Fairfield Police Detective Bureau at 203-254-4840, or submit an anonymous tip through the Fairfield police mobile app, or through texting the keyword FPDCT, followed by the tip to 847411 (Tip411).