Police: Arrest made in shooting at party where city mom died
STAMFORD — Police have made an arrest in last weekend’s shooting at an outdoor party that left a Stamford mother dead and two people wounded.
Ian “Easy” Evans was arrested on a court warrant Thursday on charges of first-degree assault, criminal attempt at first-degree assault, criminal use of a firearm and reckless endangerment. He is being held on $1 million bond.
The charges are related to the wounding of a man at the party, police said.
Police are calling the arrest the first that they plan to make in relation to the incident. Detectives are still are looking to make an arrest in the killing of Shernetta Dunmore, 35.
Capt. Richard Conklin said information was developed that established Evans as “a person of interest” in the case.
Stamford police requested the service of U.S. Marshals, who located Evans in a Bridgeport residence on Thursday, police said. Stamford police then executed a search and seizure warrant at the residence.
“They are among the very best in finding people and very quickly the marshals tracked him down and we were not surprised, having worked with them so often,” Conklin said.
The police captain said the case remains “very active.”
“This investigation has clearly established that there were many witnesses,” Conklin said.
“We would like people to come forward. We have to implore them because an innocent mother lost her life during this situation,” he said. “We really want to seek justice for her and her family and the community.”
On Sept. 20, Dunmore, who lived on Henry Street, joined a group of city residents celebrating the end of summer at Cummings Park. When the park closed, people moved to a parking lot of the Ursula Place Housing Complex just off Cove Road.
Just after midnight, gunfire erupted at the party.
Dunmore was shot numerous times. She was rushed
to Stamford Hospital, but died from her injuries.
Two Stamford men, ages 43 and 27, were also struck by bullets in the shooting. One of those men turned up at Bridgeport Hospital and the other at Stamford Hospital.
Conklin said there were upwards of 30 people in the parking lot early Sunday when the shooting took place.
“There are witnesses that
are starting to come in and talk to us, but there are many others that we need to speak to,” he said. “We are identifying people who were there and cars that were there and it is just a matter of time before we are going to be knocking on their door. We would rather they get a hold of us.”
Police said about 30 shots were fired in the incident.
Dunmore was born and raised in Stamford, she ended up graduating from Bassick High School in Bridgeport and then went to Maine where she became a
Jobs Corps graduate and learned about the culinary arts, her brother Jamal, said.
Before she died, Dunmore was working a security job to make ends meet and create a good life for her son, he said, adding his sister will be greatly missed in the Stamford community where she had a “ton of friends.”
Jamal Dunmore has echoed police officials’ call for witnesses to come forward and cooperate in the investigation.
“The city has a confident mentality and if Stamford is the stand-up town as we believe, we are asking as a family for them to step up,” he said earlier this week. “I’m believing the community will stand up for our family and I believe the individuals will be brought to justice.
“I pray their hearts will be softened, and I know this is faithful thinking, but I think people will step up and turn in those individuals who are responsible.”
Anyone with information about this case, to include the identity of those who witnessed the shooting, should contact the Major Crime Squad at 203-977-4417.