Authorities are investigating after a 56-year-old man was attacked in an apartment in Hamden on Sunday afternoon and died hours later.
Police said the victim, Larry Dildy, of Circular Avenue in Hamden, was shot and possibly stabbed during a fight. He was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital for treatment, where he died of his injuries about three hours later.
According to police, Dildy answered a knock at the door around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, and an unidentified man entered the second-floor apartment at 397 Circular Avenue.
Whether the man was invited in or forced his way in is not clear, but police do not believe this was a random attack. The relationship between the two men is unclear.
Police were first called to respond to an argument. While officers were on their way, the incident escalated and Dildy was shot, police said.
Several people were in the home when the attack happened and woman related to Dildy grabbed a broom handle, hitting the attacker several times, police said during a news conference on Monday.
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The woman was not hurt and the attacker ran off.
Nothing was stolen during the attack, according to police. The kitchen was ransacked, but investigators said that could have been a result of the fight.
Police are trying to identify the assailant, but have a very vague description of the man involved. They are also looking into the relationship between the attacker and Dildy, who is known to the department because he arrested around five years ago on drug charges.
Detectives said they're investigating to determine whether the fight that killed Dildy may have been drug related.
"That's something we'll be looking into," said Hamden police Capt. Ronald Smith.
There have been several recent home invasions in Hamden, but police do not believe this is connected. Police said they are working on an arrest warrant in those cases and the suspect is behind bars.
Dildy's friends and neighbors said they are in shock.
"We've just got to keep the family in prayers and just hope that his wife is doing OK," said a friend, Rev. James Newman.
Police are following several leads in the case and said the major crimes division is working around the clock.
