Neighbors in New Haven expressed their outrage at a community meeting Thursday over the violence plaguing their neighborhood, just days after three people were shot on Quinnipiac Avenue.
The mother of one teen who was among those shot Monday showed up along with other community members to the Ross Woodward school for a conversation on violence and other problems.
"It was scary. He's frightened, so that's why I'm here," the mother said. She didn't want to be publicly identified.
She described hearing a flurry of gunshots, not knowing they had hit and wounded her son. Police believe the shooting is gang-related, and told NBC Connecticut they are following some good leads.
"He was just sitting on a porch with friends, and that's what happened. I heard a bunch of gunshots," she said. "They get with the wrong crowd or they get caught up in areas when it was meant for someone else."
One resident blamed the violence on the housing authority, as well as a shortage of police.
"Unfortunately, crime has gone up. The only common denominator is the housing authority," said Ron Codianni, who encouraged residents to sign his petition to have the executive director of the housing authority removed.
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"We have a full-time drug and violence problem; we need full-time police," Codianni added.
The lack of police was one of the major concerns brought to Alderman Richard Spears' attention.
"It's the mayor's job to get more cops on the street and that's what I'm asking for for the mayor to figure out," Spears said.
The New Haven Housing Authority never got back to us Thursday night. The mayor's office told NBC Connecticut the city is working to address the violence and its causes but that they weren't invited to the meeting.
The concerned mother says her son is headed back to school Friday and is set to graduate next month.
"It is hard, because there's nothing for them to do. He's 18 and hasn't had a job yet. There's nowhere for them to work," she said.
