3 shootings in 3 days
Stamford police: ‘Miracle’ none injured by shots fired onto Interstate 95
STAMFORD — Police say it was a “miracle” that no one was hit by a man firing gunshots at cars driving on Interstate 95 from an overpass in Stamford on Tuesday afternoon.
At 12:08 p.m. Tuesday, a worker at One Stamford Place called 911 and reported that he had seen a man firing a gun from the Fairfield Avenue overpass, Lt. Eugene Dohmann said.
“He said the man was firing from the overpass down onto I-95 into traffic. But there is no report of anyone being injured or their vehicle being struck at this point, which is a miracle,” Dohman said. “There are four shell casings located on the overpass — and that matches up with what the witness
reported near the center of the span. That’s amazing no one was hurt.”
From where the shell casings were found, Dohmann said it appeared the man was firing onto the southbound lanes, but that has not been officially determined. The shooting occurred between Exits 7 and 6 in Stamford.
As officers converged on the area, Dohmann said they began getting reports of a man, who fit the description of the gunman, changing clothes on the shoulder of the northbound lanes of I-95. The man appeared to be waiving down cars in an attempt to run but found no takers, Dohmann said.
“He was probably trying to hitch a ride and flee the area,” Dohmann said.
Dohman would not release the man’s name, but said he was a city resident and was known to police in the past.
Patrol officers and narcotics officers in the area took the suspect into custody and took him to Stamford Hospital. The man may have been under the influence of PCP, a heavy duty hallucinogenic, police said.
“We are in the process of piecing this all together,” Dohmann said. “He seemed to be under the influence of something based on his erratic behavior. He was ranting and screaming and was highly agitated when we apprehended him and he had to be sedated at the hospital.”
Police also notified State Police at Troop G in Bridgeport about the incident in case any cars were hit.
Several officers, including three K9 units, responded to the scene to search for the gun used in the incident.
Dohmann said he expected charges to be brought against the man after investigators determine what happened on the Fairfield Avenue overpass.
This appears to be the third shooting incident in Stamford in as many days, police said.
A man was hit late Monday night during a shootout at the southern dead end of Connecticut Avenue, near the Greenwich border, Stamford police said.
The shooting victim, Raheem Henry, 22, of Stamford, was arrested on a drug possession charge. Police are still working to determine what happened after finding about 20 shell casings from multiple semiautomatic pistols in a parking lot at the end of Connecticut Avenue, police said.
A house on nearby Havemeyer Lane along with a few vehicles were damaged by gunfire, police said.
Police are also investigating a shootout between two people in cars near the corner of Lockwood Avenue and William Street in Stamford on Sunday night. No injuries have been reported in that incident.