New Haven

3 Arrested on Weapon Charges Believed to be Involved in Shooting Near New Haven School: PD

New Haven Police said the center and right guns are ghost guns.
NBC Connecticut

A New Haven school was put into lockdown Tuesday afternoon after shots were fired nearby.

Police arrested three suspects on weapons charges, but they do also believe at least some of them are responsible for the shooting.

As students were being dismissed at Dr. Reginald Mayo Early Learning Center, 23 shots rang out on Goffe Street.

Police said a drive-by shooting was focused on the apartments across the street from the school.

School officials rushed the children back inside, locked the school down and waited until police gave the all clear.

No one was injured. Police said they were able to track the vehicle and they ultimately arrested three people and took custody of three guns - two of which were ghost guns.

Two of the people arrested are under the age of 18 and the other is a 19-year-old that police said is a convicted felon.

Authorities said ghost guns and increasingly becoming a problem across the country, including right here in Connecticut. Mayor Justin Elicker said police have seized nine ghost guns so far this year. At this point last year, they seized one.

For under $100, you can buy all the parts for a "ghost gun," a difficult-to-trace firearm made from parts without serial numbers. The Biden Administration plans to crack down on ghost guns, which make up a small but increasing portion of the guns seized at crime scenes. The fact that ghost guns were made at all is a sign of weak or easily circumvented gun laws, says Vanderbilt University professor and author Jonathan Metzl. "We have gun laws, and then we have loopholes that are so big you can drive any size truck you want through them," he told LX News.

"Last year, NHPD seized a total over the entire year of seven ghost guns so ghost guns are becoming a real problem in our community and there needs to be a lot more legislative work to make sure that we work to stop ghost guns from coming into communities like ours around the nation," Elicker said.

Police are waiting for lab tests to come in and connect the guns with the drive-by shooting. At that point, charges are expected to be filed.

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