Police arrested a man suspected of shooting a woman in the face as she left Kelly's on Campbell Avenue in West Haven early Sunday morning after the two had an argument inside the bar.

Police were called to 142 Campbell Ave. near the intersection with Noble Street around 2:50 a.m. Sunday for a report of a person shot.

When they arrived, they found a women in her 40s who had been shot in the face as she exited the bar. The woman was transported to an area hospital and is in stable condition. She is expected to recover.

Witnesses said they saw the suspect across the street from the bar and that he was carrying a shotgun. Police found him in an apartment building, kitty corner to the crime scene, and took him into custody.

They quickly arrested the man, who had a confrontation with the victim earlier in the night inside of Kelly's bar at 144 Campbell Ave. 

"He came out to the police and through the investigation we were able to determine he was most likely who we were looking for," West Haven Det. Sgt. Paul Raucci said.

Evelyn Batchelder, who lives near the shooting site, said that more than one shot was fired.

“All these shots, and I didn’t know what it was. I thought maybe somebody was doing fireworks, cause that’s what they do around here, but no, it was an innocent person getting shot," ," Batchelder said. "....It was awful. It's like, why would you shoot someone? At a bar, no less."

Investigators remain on scene taking photographs of the crime scene and collecting evidence. Gun casings strewn across the sidewalk and the street were marked as evidence.

"There's very little that the police can do without the help of the public. Fortunately, this is a very active area of town," Raucci said.

The names of the victim and suspect have not been released, but patrons said that he suspect was a regular at the bar. They were surprised to hear he was involved and even more shocked that the shooting happened right outside the business.

"There was never anything nasty in there. Never anything," Batchelder said.

"The bar's owners had no comment. A neighboring business owner at Elizabeth's Creations, who has been running her dress shop for three decades, said she's noticed more crime in the area recently. Her neighbors agree.

"I don't want to get killed either," Batchelder said. "It's like, 'Oh my god, why is it happening around here?"

Police said that the shooting wasn't a random act of violence, but said they are concerned with an uptick in more violent crimes in the area.

"A lot of the picture is pretty clear to us right now," police said of the shooting.

No further details were immediately available on what the two were arguing about or the shooting incident.

Bridgeport police are investigating after a deadly shooting last night.

Police responded to 26 Ohio Ave. just after 9 p.m. after reports that of gunfire.

When police arrived, they found Juvontee Tinsley, 22, of Bridgeport, suffering from a gun shot wound to the chest. 

Tinsely was in serious condition when he first arrived at Bridgeport Hospital. He has since been pronounced dead.

According to witnesses, Tinsley walked over to speak with someone in a car parked at 26 Ohio Avenue One of the occupants of the car shot Mr. Tinsley in the chest.

After the shooting, the car fled east on Ohio Ave. and drove through a yard at the dead end. The vehicle was last seen traveling south on East Main Street.

Tinsley is suspected of firing shots at a house at 69 Velvet Street just a few hours before the shooting took place.

Anyone with information on this incident should contact Detective Ortiz at 203-581-5290.

Police in Fairfield are investigating after leaflets reading “White Lives Matter” were delivered to several homes in the Greenfield Hill neighborhood.

Fairfield is the fourth community in two weeks to have the racially charged fliers dropped. Lt. James Perez of Fairfield police says about eight homes reported receiving the fliers, which were wrapped in a plastic bag with small rocks in them. Each bag contained a folded 8” by 11” piece of white paper that read “White Lives Matter.” Identical fliers have been found in Westport, Milford, and East Haven in recent weeks.

The phrase appears to be in response to the saying “Black Lives Matter,” which has become a mantra in response to the killings of black men by police officers in places like Ferguson, New York City, and Baltimore.

Lt. Perez says the detective division is investigating. No one is claiming responsibility.
 

The body of a Norwich teen who disappeared into the water while kayaking on the Shetucket River last week has been found, according to Norwich police.

Seventeen-year-old Karl Joseph had been missing since last Sunday night, when witnesses say his kayak overturned and he was thrown into the river. Bystanders tried to rescue the teen but were unsuccessful. Crews searched the water for several days but were unable to locate the teen.

Police say Joseph’s body was found around 1:45 p.m. Sunday in the area of kayak capsized and at this time his death appears to be a tragic accident.

The Norwich Free Academy, where Joseph was a junior, issued the following statement in response to the news:

“The Norwich Free Academy community grieves the death of Karl Joseph. Karl was a respected, outgoing, and popular member of the Class of 2016. His smile characterized him. The thoughts and prayers of the entire NFA community are with his family and friends during this difficult time.
Our crisis management team has met and will continue to meet. Counseling and support services available to our students, faculty, and staff during the course of the past week will continue as long as members of the NFA community are in need of them.”

Detectives and the medical examiner are still investigating the incident. Anyone with information should contact Detective Wilbur of the Norwich police detective division at 860 886 5561 ex 152.
 

A close family friend of a police officer shot dead in Mississippi said his friend did not have a mean bone in his body, and he takes comfort in the fact that he died doing something he loved.

Sammie Scales said he was watching the news Sunday morning when he first heard about a shooting in his hometown in Mississippi. He started listening when he heard that the shooting happened in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and started making calls to back home when he heard the name "Liquori."

“When I heard the name Liquori, I couldn’t believe… I didn’t want to think it was Ronald’s son,” Scales said.

Liquori Tate, 25, and Benjamin J. Deen, 34, were shot after Deen pulled a car over for a speeding violation and called Tate in for backup. Early Sunday, four suspects were arrested and charged, and two were charged with capital murder.

Scales received a call from Liquori’s parents Sunday morning. He grew up with Ronald and Yolanda Tate and considered them members of his extended family. Scales said he knew Liquori from the day he was born up until his death and thought of him as a nephew.

“It hit me like a ton of bricks,” Scales said.

Liquori’s father Ronald confirmed that his son had died.

"So we laughed together, we cried together…thinking about how, you know, this could've been my son being killed,” Scales said.

Scales said Tate wasn't even on duty last night when he left to help a fellow officer conduct a traffic stop in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

“And these three cowards got out of their SUV ran into the woods, two kept running, one stayed back so when officers went in to get them, to catch them, the one person that stayed back opened fire, and I call them cowards because that's exactly what they are, cowards,” Scales said.

Scales said Liquori had just graduated from the police academy a year ago before he went on to become an officer. He said his friend was the type of officer that would give someone a warning before writing them a ticket.

“There was not a mean bone in this kid’s body,” Scales said.

He said Liquori wanted to protect and serve and considered it his calling.

“It's just so surreal,” said Scales through tears. “Today's Mother's Day, and I know Yolanda wanted to be able to hear her son say Happy Mother's Day to her. Her and her daughter was headed to Hattiesburg from Starkville, when they got the call that he was shot, but prior to them getting there, Liquori died."

Liquori’s father Ronald said he found out his son was shot through the news media, not through any officials.

Scales said in the past he has thought of officers negatively after hearing several news stories. But knowing Liquori personally changed the way he thought of the story.

“When it hits home and you actually know the officer, it’s totally different and it changes everything,” Scales said. “It’s just been so surreal for me.”

The timing is especially difficult for Liquori’s parents, Scales said, as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day roll around.

“We talked about how life was going to be different from him now, not having a son,” Scales said. “We talked about Father's Day coming up and him having his daughter around but not his son."

Scales said it comforted him knowing that his friend died doing what he loved, but said he will miss the young man’s smiling face and gentle soul.

“Protect and serve, he took it seriously,” Scales said. “It was about, what I can I do to be a role model for the kids in this community and where I can do the most good, and he choose being an officer."

Scales says he plans to fly out to Mississippi later this week or early the following week to visit Tate’s family and attend his funeral service.

Dozens of people displaced after a devastating fire in Meriden are figuring out how to move on.

“I mean reality set in. I actually cried today,” says Krystle Thomas.

Thomas and her husband returned again to see the burnt remains of the Crown Village complex building they used to live in.

“We lived right underneath where that fire started,” says Thomas.

She says they spent part of Saturday night at a motel. But they checked out early and parked their car in their old spot.

“We just looked at the apartment until we actually fell asleep in the car. So, quite devastating you can’t go back into a place that you know you called your home,” says Thomas.

Thomas is one of more than sixty people who lived here and appeared to have lost most everything.

On Saturday, a fire raced through the building’s 22 units. People had to jump from balconies to escape the flames. Thankfully no was seriously hurt, though some pets are missing.

For Thomas, she’s remaining positive, though it’s the loss of sentimental items, especially from motherhood, that she will miss.

“That would be the stuff I would have treasured most. You know, the pictures, the deliveries, ultrasounds. These are things I can’t get back,” says Thomas.

Thomas is also frustrated that there was little residents could do to fight the fire. She says that the building did not have sprinklers or fire extinguishers.

“I really think this could have been prevented,” says Thomas.

Firefighters say it appears the building was not required to have sprinklers or fire extinguishers. At this point, they do not know what started the fire.

The Meriden Emergency Services Spirit of Giving organization is collecting donations for the victims of the Crown Street fire. They are looking for donations of new clothing, gift cards, and household items to replace what was lost in the fire. Donations can be dropped off at Hunters Ambulance located at 450 West Main Street in Meriden. For more information, click here.
 

Shelton High School students plan on circulating a petition Monday to try to stop what they say are last-minute changes to the prom dress code that would bar them from wearing dresses they've already purchased.

Dr. Beth Smith, the school's headmaster, made an announcement Friday over the intercom that dresses with slits, cutouts and backless styles wouldn't be allowed at prom this coming weekend. Students and parents argue that the school principal's crack down come too late because they've already spent the money on the dresses with a few days to go until prom.

"If she had a problem with this, she should have addressed it two or three months ago, not a week before," Shelton parent Leisha Verdi said.

About a half dozen girls have already been told their dresses won't be allowed at prom. School leaders said the announcement was a reminder of a long-standing prom policy. However, students said the guidelines are new to them.

"Everybody was like freaking out in my class," said Samantha Bucherati, a senior whose dress was deemed inappropriate. School officials said they have flagged about half a dozen dresses.

Bucherati described Smith as "more strict" and said her message about prom attire is "just out of control."

The petition students are launching calls on school leaders to relax the guidelines, saying limiting what female students can wear is both unfair and a selective enforcement of the dress code.

Many of the students said they paid for their dresses weeks ago.

"Everyone’s so mad and everyone’s already bought their prom dress and spent hundreds of dollars," said Shelton High School student Jennifer Peebles.

Though Smith did not respond to NBC Connecticut's request for comment, Shelton Supt. Freeman Burr issued a statement that said, in part:

"The decision was made by the Headmaster to reiterate, once again, the appropriate prom dress guidelines."

Freedman said school administrators relayed the rules to students several months ago and this week's announcement was meant to serve as a reminder about those rules.

The superintendent said that officials will be reviewing the decision Monday on dresses that were ruled inappropriate and whether to allow those students to wear the dresses they had planned on to prom, possibly with some alterations.

They may be able to alter their clothing to allow their dresses to be worn to the prom.

Emergency crews are on scene at a car fire on the Wilbur Cross Parkway (Route 15) in North Haven.

The car fire happened on the northbound side near exit 64 and traffic is backed up to exit 63.

A fire broke out in the basement of a New Haven home Monday, displacing five people.

The fire at 23 University Place was contained to the basement and everyone got out safely. Three adults and two children were displaced.

The fire department had a difficult getting into the house because there were a lot of contents inside.

Three adults and two children were displaced, but will be able to go back there.

There is smoke damage to the upper floor, but most of the damage is in the basement.

A team from Mystic Aquarium is heading to Rhode Island after three Beluga whales were spotted near Jamestown.

"While only video footage is available at this time, the behavior witnessed looks to be normal," Mystic Aquarium's lead Veterinarian Dr. Allison Tuttle said in a statement.

The Mystic Aquarium, including biologists, Beluga whale experts, veterinarians, and members of the animal rescue team. are working with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries and local authorities to find the three whales to investigate further.

The team will head to Narragansett Bay and watch the whales to determine their health and determine whether anything needs to be done.

Mystic Aquarium said work done by top researchers, including Dr. Tracy Romano, is providing specialized data in the examination of external factors on this threatened species.
 

Police have arrested a man accused of trying to burglarize a West Haven liquor store.

An officer working in the area of Boston Post Road spotted a man in a ski mask, holding a yellow crowbar, in the area of Boston Post Road and Front Avenue, around 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, according to police.

The man ran, but officer chased him, soon caught him and took him into custody.

Officers checking area businesses determined that there had been an attempted burglary at Park Liquor, at 221 Boston Post Road.

There were yellow pry marks gouged into the front door of the business from someone trying to pry open the door and police arrested Jose Figueroa, 35.

He was charged with third-degree criminal attempt to commit burglary and interfering with police. He was also wanted on three probation violations for similar incidents and held on bond.

Meriden police are looking for a man suspected of robbing a Target store in Meriden who is also involved in a string of robberies across Connecticut, police said.

Police released surveillance photos of the man and are also looking for a red Toyota 4-Runner in connection to the robberies.

In addition to the armed robbery at the Meriden Target store, the man also had a hand in another robbery at the Westfield Mall and robbed stores like Target and CVS across the state, police said.

Police ask anyone with further information to contact Det. J Williams at jwilliams@meridenct.gov or 203-630-4178.

One northbound lane of Franklin Avenue in Hartford is getting by after a minor gas leak on Monday morning.

The construction-related gas leak occurred in the first block of Franklin Avenue, according to a tweet by Deputy Police Chief Brian Foley.

Police, firefighters and Connecticut Natural Gas crews responded and no one was evacuated.

The firetrucks are no longer at the scene and it appears that the existing road closures are for the initial construction project.

A fire truck responding to an emergency call got stuck in a sinkhole in the Bronx Monday, authorities said.

Firefighters parked their truck on Colden Avenue to answer the call, and when they came back shortly before 9 a.m., they saw the front right wheel of the rig had fallen into a 3-foot hole, authorities said.

The hole wasn't too large, a deputy fire chief at the scene said, but firefighters had to wait for a tow truck to haul it out. 

Con Edison and the city's Department of Environmental Preservation responded to assess the situation underground, but authorities said there didn't appear to be any threat to neighbors.

Route 6 is closed in Plymouth after a car crashed into a pole overnight near 366 Main Street, sending one person to the hospital.

One person in the 1:18 a.m. crash sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital. The collision knocked down wires and a pole.

The road will be closed between Harwinton Avenue and Holt Street throughout the morning while crews repair the utility damage.

Garland police say they had no advance warning ahead of the shooting that wounded a security guard and left two gunmen dead outside a controversial "Draw Muhammad" cartoon contest earlier this month.

"No information was missed or ignored," Garland Police Chief Mitch Bates said at a news briefing.

Bates said no law enforcement agency had any advance information suggesting either of the two suspects, Elton Simpson and Soofi Nadir, might target the May 3 event.

The FBI said last week that they sent a bulletin to the Garland Police Department regarding Simpson three hours before the start of the event.

The FBI, according to NBC News, reported Simpson was "interested in the event" but that FBI Director James Comey said they had no reason to believe he intended to attack the event and didn't know he was on his way to Garland.

A Garland police officer is credited with fatally shooting both Simpson and Nadir, who arrived at the Curtis Culwell Center wearing body armor and carrying a number of weapons when they began shooting at police at a checkpoint outside the venue.

Investigators said Simpson and Nadir intended to shoot attendees of a provocative art contest where contestants were drawing cartoon art of the Prophet Muhammad, an act considered blasphemous in the Muslim religion.

Terrorist group ISIS' claim that it was responsible for the shooting has renewed concerns about lone wolf terror attacks on U.S. soil. A White House spokesman has said that analysts want to review the claim.

NBC 5's Jocelyn Lockwood contributed to this report.

Metro-North is providing bus service on the Waterbury Branch for two trains because of track work.

Bus service will be provided for the 10:36 a.m. train leaving Bridgeport, making all stops from Bridgeport to Waterbury, and for the 11:51 a.m. train leaving Waterbury, making all stops to Bridgeport.

These buses will not be stop at the Devon Transfer Point.

A commute spent behind the wheel fighting traffic is considered miserable by many, but this week the group CTrides is urging drivers to try a different way of getting to work.

CTrides is kicking off a week long campaign encouraging commuters to try an alternative mode of transportation at least once. From bus rides to bike rides, organizers say the key is giving it a try.

“I think people in Connecticut are a little shy about hopping on buses or trains or carpools or vanpools,” Jody Santoro of CTrides said. “I think giving it that one try gets people over the hump, and they realize how convenient and easy it can be.”

New Britain City Planner Steve Schiller says a bike is a no-brainer, and it has made his three-mile commute a lot friendlier.

“My big thing is how it builds community,” Schiller said. “When we’re all in our little cars driving around, you don’t get to see and talk to other people.”

From environmental to economical, CTrides says there are plenty of reasons to try it this week. The campaign runs Monday, May 11 through Friday, May 15.

Milford police have arrested a man accused of threatening the life of his former employer and her family.

Police said they received the complaint on July 20, 2014, investigated and arrested Antonio Negron, 52, of Derby, on a warrant on Saturday night.

He was charged with threatening, released on a promise to appear and is due in court on June 2.

Hamden police have arrested a 12-year-old girl who they said brought a BB gun to school, pulled it out during class and loaded it in front of other students.

Administrators from Hamden Middle School contacted Hamden Police Department School Resource Officer Jay Bunnell around 10 a.m. on May 7, so police investigated and charged the juvenile with carrying a weapon on school grounds and possession of a dangerous weapon.

She was released to the custody of her parent and is scheduled to appear in Juvenile Court in New Haven on May 21.