A 25-year veteran of the Hartford Fire Department has been charged with assault after shooting another man in the stomach last month and no longer works for the city, according to police.
Police said firefighter Donald Brown, 54, was involved in an altercation with Lascelles Reid, 31, of Simsbury, at 131 Hebron Street in Hartford shortly before 4 p.m. on April 24.
Brown is accused of shooting Reid in the abdomen in the driveway of the single-family home. Police said he was off duty at the time.
"I just got attacked. ... I had to shoot him," Brown told a dispatcher, according to the 911 recordings. "I told him to get away, back away. He kept charging at me, so I shot him."
The dispatcher told Brown to put his gun down and said police would be arriving soon.
Police said the two men knew one another, but have not released details of their relationship. Police sources have identified Reid as the boyfriend of Brown's sister.
Brown told police that Reid was working on his house.
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"He was working on a house that I own. He tore the house up… I want my house in place," Brown told dispatchers.
He added that Reid tried to hit and jump on him and told investigators he shot Reid out of fear, according to police.
"I tried to get out of the car and get away from him. He kept coming. I told him to stay away, stay away. He kept coming, so I shot him because I don’t want to get hurt," Brown said.
The dispatcher then asked Brown if the victim was breathing and Brown said yes, that Reid was also was talking to 911.
Police also released Reid’s 911 call.
"I’ve been shot," Reid told dispatchers, adding that his body is numb.
Authorities arrived to find Reid lying on the ground and said he had been shot in the torso. He was conscious and alert and was taken by ambulance to Saint Francis Hospital.
Brown turned himself in Thursday and was charged with first-degree assault. Police said his bond was set at $150,000.
Hartford police said Brown "is no longer an employee of the City of Hartford." It's not clear if he was terminated or resigned.
Reid is still recovering and continues to recieve medical attention, according to police.
