New Haven police are investigating gunfire outside Roosevelt’s Bar on Whalley Avenue early Wednesday morning, and police say this is one of several recent incidents at the business.
Police said an officer was flagged down at the corner of Fountain Street and Central Avenue for a report of a “chaotic scene” nearby. As the officer approached, he heard gunfire and spotted a Subaru Forester fleeing the area. The officer pulled over the vehicle and saw the vehicle’s windshield had bullet damage.
A few hours later, a man approached police and said that he’d fired at the vehicle after the driver sped directly at him. The man told police he was leaving Roosevelt’s Bar at 883 Whalley Ave. when a driver pulled up and addressed him, then made a u-turn and drove his vehicle at him. The victim said he then jumped into his own vehicle and tried to escape, but the other driver struck his vehicle, at which point he fired at the driver, fearing for his own safety.
Police said video of the incident appears to confirm the victim’s story. The victim has a valid pistol permit. No arrests have been made.
This is the third gunfire/shooting incident connected to the bar in the last year, according to police. On Sept. 22, a man was shot in the leg. Police said officers are routinely posted at the bar to clear out the crowd at closing time, despite the bar often hiring extra duty officers on the weekends.
