Man Faces Charges After Domestic Violence Incident in East Hartford

On Wednesday, a dangerous dispute in East Hartford sent one woman to the hospital and the man suspected of shooting her appeared in court Thursday.

“I didn’t know what was happening,” said neighbor Debora Diaz. “I see all these cops running by my house, and I told my grandson, ‘Oh my God, something’s going down, don’t go outside.’”

On Thursday, Luis Toro-Vargas appeared at Manchester Superior Court after police say he shot a woman in a domestic violence incident. According to officials, Toro-Vargas fired two shots toward the woman in the basement of the house, one of which struck the victim.

“This is domestic violence - very serious concerns for the safety of the victim,” Judge Sheila M. Prats said to the Manchester Superior courtroom.

According to court documents, Toro-Vargas admitted to police over the phone that the shooting was over an alleged affair. That report says the woman was transported to Hartford Hospital, but as of Thursday, she was determined stable.

“We are seeing an increased level of violence and legality in these situations more so than we’ve seen over the last 10 years,” said Meghan Scanlon, president and CEO of Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Toro-Vargas faces charges including criminal attempt to commit murder, first-degree kidnapping with a firearm, risk of injury to a minor, first-degree threatening and more. Police said two minors were found inside the house unharmed.

“What keeps me up at night is the services for children. The trauma that goes beyond just the victim,” Scanlon said.

The defense attorney requested a reduction in bail, from $1 million to $200,000. That request was denied.

“As noted in the report, there was in the process of separating and as we know in domestic violence, that is the most dangerous time for a victim, many times, in domestic violence-type cases,” Prats said.

Toro-Vargas is expected to return to court on Jan. 25.