New Haven man in critical condition after Hamden shooting

HAMDEN — A New Haven man in his 20s was wounded in a drive-by shooting Friday, according to police.

The man was reported to be 20 by New Haven police and 21 by Hamden police. Both agencies were involved in the response to the shooting.

The injured man was being treated at Yale New Haven Hospital, according to Hamden police. He was “conscious and alert” when interviewed by officers but was listed in critical condition as of Friday night, police said.

Hamden police said officers responded to the intersection of Mather Street and Dixwell Avenue Friday afternoon for a report of a shootout involving two moving vehicles that resembled those involved in a similar incident in New Haven. Emergency dispatchers noted a third-party driver reported his vehicle was struck by bullets or other projectiles when the cars passed him on Mather Street, police said.

“The incident involved two vehicles traveling in tandem, at a high rate of speed in New Haven,” Capt. Rose Dell, public information officer for the New Haven Police Department, said. Police recovered ballistic evidence on Whitney Avenue and Highland Street in New Haven, Dell added.

Shortly thereafter, Hamden police said they were contacted by a hospital about a shooting victim who had recently arrived for treatment. His injury was described as a graze gunshot wound, police said. The man told officers the altercation began in New Haven but he believed he was struck by a bullet or projectile in Hamden.

Dell said New Haven officers responded to an area hospital around 12:35 p.m. Friday for a report of a shooting victim. She did not identify the hospital.

One of the vehicles involved in the shooting had been reported stolen Friday morning and was later recovered in another town, according to Hamden police. The second vehicle was located unoccupied near the intersection of Dixwell Avenue

and Arch Street after it was involved in a crash, police said.

Hamden police said Det. Sgt. Jomo Crawford and several members of the department’s Major Crimes Unit have been assigned to the case. The investigation is “active and ongoing,” police said.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting can call 203-230-4040.

This article includes previous reporting from Liz Hardaway. caroline.tien@hearst.com