New Haven police are investigating the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old man Wednesday afternoon.

Police arrived at 85 South Genessee Street in the McConaughy Terrace public housing complex around 12:30 p.m. There they found Brian Gibson, of New Haven, suffering from gunshot wounds.

Gibson was rushed to Yale-New Haven hospital, where he died.

Police are searching for a suspect who fled the scene on foot. The suspect is described as being a dark-complexioned black man in his late teens or early 20s wearing a blue-and-white baseball cap. 

Anyone with formation is asked to call New Haven police at 203-946-6304.

The Town of East Lyme has instituted mandatory water conservation measures for all East Lyme water customers effective as of 9 a.m. on Thursday as a precautionary measure after a fuel leak at York Correctional Institution in Niantic.

Town officials said they are working closely with the Department of Correction and have agreed to institute mandatory water conservation measures to assist mitigation efforts of a recent diesel fuel leak on the grounds of the York Correctional Institution in Niantic caused by a broken underground pipe connecting the above ground diesel fuel tank to the facility's main generators. 

The cause of the leak was discovered approximately three weeks ago and was quickly corrected, town officials said.

Kropp Environmental Contractors Inc. will manage the remediation plan and it conducting daily soil testing and monitoring of exploratory wells for contamination.  

Town officials said reduced demand on the water supply will help Kropp collect datas.

Town officials said the exact amount of fuel spilled has yet to be determined, but no contaminated soil has been found outside the grounds of the correctional facility. 
 

The heat index for this Fourth of July Holiday is about 100 degrees and many, many people across the state have decided to spend the day by the water.

Early risers headed to several other parks and beaches and they have already reached capacity.

Squantz Pond State Park reached parking capacity as of 8:45 a.m. and is closed.

It was not long after that when Rocky Neck State Park filled.

Wadsworth Falls State Park is closed after reaching parking capacity, and Indian Well State Park and Kent Falls State Park, Burr Pond, Gardner Lake and Mount Tom State Park are too.

Not all of the beaches are full, but be prepared for long waits.

By 7 a.m., there was already a line to get in at Hammonasset Beach in Madison.

As of 10 a.m., the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection was warning of long lines for Sherwood Island.

We want your Fourth of July photos. Send them to photos@nbcconnecticut.com.

What could be more American on the Fourth of July that apple pie and... cricket?

Well, that's what more than 120 cricketers are doing this long July 4 weekend in Silicon Valley, in an annual tournament hosted by the Northern California Cricket Association that starts Thursday.

While cricket is a game started by the Brits (ironically) and wildly popular in South Asia, the polite, complicated game is actually the precusor to baseball. Which is indeed an American sport. And it's beloved by many Indo-American and Pakistani Americans who now call the Bay Area home.

"It's going to be a lot of fun," said Hemant Buch, one of the South Bay's premier cricket advocates and the founder of a youth cricket academy. He added that his colleagues chose the day, not specifically because of Independence Day, but the long weekend provides ample time for players to travel and enjoy the game.

There are 12 teams competing in the event on various cricket "pitches," or fields, in Santa Clara and San Jose. Each team of about 11 players paid $2,000 to participate and the winning team will earn $20,000, Buch said.

Most of the players are from the Bay Area, but there is one team from Arizona and another team representing the Southern California Cricket Assocation based in Van Nuys. There's also a handful of international players from the West Indies and India.

"All of us growing up played basketball, but we grew up in countries like India, and that's where we developed a passion for cricket," said Santa Clara cricketer Saami Siddiqui, a recent UC-Berkeley grad.

Cricket has long been gaining ground in the Bay Area. Buch's association and others have been pushing for permanent cricket pitches that now exist in various cities such as Cupertino, Santa Clara, Fremont, San Jose and Dublin.

While cricket gave birth to baseball, the game is much longer and plays by different rules.

A field is really an oval-shaped 22-yard long pitch.  Each team takes it in turn to bat, in which they attempt to accumulate as many runs as possible, while the other team fields, attempting to prevent the batting team scoring runs. Once 10 batsmen from the batting side have been dismissed, the team is said to be "all out" and the two teams change roles. The games can take hours, if not days.

There is also a movement to make cricket an Olympic sport. If this tournament is any indication, America would have a strong team.

Five people were trapped when a van drove through a stop sign, crashed into another car and rolled onto its hood in Hamden Wednesday afternoon, police said.

The van, driven by Christina Calise, 25, went through a stop sign and collided with another car near the intersection of Ridge Road and Haverford Street around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to police.

After the collision, the van rolled onto its hood, trapping five people inside. Police said the van was carrying disabled day campers.

Hamden fire and police officials worked alongside an unidentified Good Samaritan to free the occupants, all of whom were transported to Yale-New Haven hospital.

The driver of the second car, Thomas Bellonio Sr., was taken to the Saint Raphael campus of Yale-New Haven hospital, according to police.

Calise was cited for failure to obey a stop sign, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Hamden police at 203-230-4030.

A Bristol man was arrested after threatening several people with a machete in Waterbury and pressing the blade to a woman's neck, police said.

According to police, Edward Donahue, 27, was drinking beer and whiskey at a party when he knocked a drink out of a woman's hand and pushed her to the ground. He then went out to the driveway and put a machete blade up to a woman's neck.

Police said Donahue also swung the machete at several other people.

Donahue was arrested early Wednesday morning and charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree threatening, third-degree assault, breach of peace and carrying a dangerous weapon, police said.

Donahue is being held on $50,000 bond, according to police.

Getting to the beach at Hammonasset Beach State Park was the Independence Day mission for thousands of people, and how much they enjoyed it depended on their timing.

"Ten minutes is all it took at 10 o'clock," said Evelyn Barnes, who drove from Waterbury.

That's where a party of 20 people came from at 2 p.m., after a long wait at the fee tepees, then a long walk after parking.

"Spend some state money for us!" said Sammy Thouadra. "We got the season here that's only a couple of months. We deserve to have a bigger place."

Nicole Dutkanowicz of Shelton couldn't find a fidelity when she got to the park at 9 a.m. So she drove to Walmart and bought a charcoal grill.

"Forty-five minutes it took to get in," she said. "The line was crazy."

There was room on the sand depending on how far along the three miles of beach people were willing to walk. There was room in the 70-degree water too.

"It's very cold," said Elise Santiago, from Naugatuck, "but it feels good after you're there for a while. You have to rush in, just go, without thinking about it."

“It looks gorgeous. It’s green. It’s lush. It’s too lush.”

That’s how Parks and Recreation Commission member Ray Reich described the fields outside Shepaug Valley High School in Washington, Conn.

“You folks come in and look at this and say, ‘What’s wrong with picnicking here?’” said Reich.

The grounds are a rich green color and appear inviting, but take one step onto that grass and your shoes will be soaked.

Reich says the commission couldn’t drive trucks on the ground to set up fireworks or even allow for cars to park on it for the event without doing substantial damage to the field. So instead, they decided to cancel.

In the past, they’ve cancelled mainly for bad weather – high winds, thunderstorms, even drought. But canceling for wet grass is a first. And as one of the year’s biggest events for Washington, it’s a big letdown for many.

Town clerk Sheila Anson works with the commission. Anson told us her family has picnicked in the same spot next to the pond every July 4 for as long as she can remember.

“Everyone is of course disappointed that they’re not going to come together today to party and to celebrate our Independence Day,” said Anson. “But they are very supportive of the decision.”

The company the town used to provide the fireworks display had not yet loaded up their trucks Wednesday when the decision was made. That allowed for an easy cancellation.

But Reich says not to worry. The town will not sell or print new passes for next year.

“They can hold on to their car pass and just use it next year,” said Reich.

O say can you feel that heat!

Many who had the day off enjoyed the 90-degree weather outside at the beach. But others, who had to work, went about business as usual.

Pat Marcucci is a lifeguard at Quassapaug Outing Club in Middlebury, Conn. He says he stays cool by just doing his job.

“Lots of water. Just drinking as much as I can. Trying to jump in every once in a while,” said Marcucci.

But not everyone is fortunate enough to cool off in the water.

“Usually we just go in the pro shop and get some AC quickly and then go back,” said Marcus Anderson, who works at the Stanley Golf Course in New Britain.

Anderson spent the day collecting golf balls on the course. He and his coworkers said they survive because they’re never too far from relief.

“We’re very lucky here,” said coworker George Wallace. “They have lots of hydration stations in and around the course. So it really helps me, [and it] helps the golfers out there too.”

Lily Donatelli wasn’t too far from the pool. But as camp counselor responsible for keeping an eye on the children, she stood guard and watched from the sidelines.

“Well I love being outside. I love working with kids, so that’s what kind of motivates me every day. And I guess I don’t really mind it,” said Donatelli.

And folks made a splash at Quassy Amusement Park. Park management checks every detail of the schedule to make sure employees are staying cool.

“For a small operation like this we have 350 employees,” said park president Eric Anderson. “So it’s all part of that rotation to make sure everyone is protected, safe and on the ball when they’re working.”

And with a brand new water slide as the main attraction, Steve Miller, who directs traffic coming into the park, was prepared for a long, hot day.

“[I’m drinking] a lot of water. A lot of water,” said Miller. 

Police a arrested a Waterbury man after receiving a report that the man had been taking pictures of young girls and a female lifeguard at Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury on Wednesday.

A park guest notified the lifeguard on duty after spotting a suspicious man allegedly taking pictures of the girls. When police arrived to investigate, the suspect fled on foot. Officers were able to capture and arrest him, police said.

The suspect, 25-year-old John Miguel Mendez Calle, of 65 Ashley Street in Waterbury, falsely identified himself multiple times. Calle claimed he didn't speak English, but continued to give false names when a Spanish-speaking officer arrived, according to police.

Calle was charged with interfering with an officer, second-degree forgery, criminal impersonation and breach of peace. His bond was set at $250,000.

Police have obtained a search warrant for the camera to find out what's on the film. If it's criminal, additional charges will be filed, police said.

Middlebury and Naugatuck police are investigating. Anyone with information is asked to contact Middlebury police at 203-577-4028.

With Independence Day upon us, many people are taking vacation time and hitting the roads. In response, the Connecticut State Police will be out in full force the entire holiday weekend.

"Speeders, aggressive drivers, the unsafe lane changes, the vehicles that can't maintain their own lane" are just some of the problems Trooper First Class Kevin Furbush says he and his fellow state police plan to target. It's all part of Operation Combined Accident Reduction Effort, or C.A.R.E. for short.

In addition to deploying most of its resources, like its new stealth Dodge Cruisers, on the roads this weekend, state police will also put sobriety checkpoints throughout Connecticut.

"People tend to maybe consume alcohol that don't usually consume alcohol. Or, if they do normally consume alcohol, they consume it to excess [on the holiday]," said Furbush.

Last July 4, state police gave out more than one thousand speeding tickets, more than 150 seat belt infractions, and 45 DUIs. There were also more than 300 accidents on our roads last Independence Day. The good news-none of the accidents were fatal.

Operation C.A.R.E runs through midnight on Sunday.

A 7-year-old Chicago boy was in critical condition Thursday evening after being shot while picnicking with his family for the Independence Day holiday, witnesses said.

The boy was shot at Nat King Cole Park, in the 300 block of East 85th Street, in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood, at about 7:25 p.m., authorities said.

He was rushed to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where officials said he was in critical condition.

Throughout the city, four people were killed and at least 14 others wounded in shootings since the holiday began.

Cole Park has seen its share of violence. Two people were shot there within a month's time in 2010, prompting officials to remove the basketball rims. Slain Chicago police officer Thomas Wortham, who lived nearby, was focused on restoring the park when he was shot and killed outside his parent's home three years ago.

State Police have found the body of missing 6-year-old Anthony Bernoudy.

Bernoudy was last seen at the water's edge at Green Harbor Beach in New London around 5:30pm Thursday, said police.

Police said he and his family were out celebrating the fourth of July, but when they started to pack up and leave, they noticed the he was gone.

Crews searched for hours and found the boy's body in the water just after 11pm Thursday.

A 7-year-old boy died Thursday after a tragic accident at the start of Annapolis' Fourth of July parade.

Just after 7 p.m., the boy fell from a vehicle getting ready to participate in the parade. The vehicle was on Amos Garrett Boulevard, where vehicles were lining up to enter the parade route.

The boy was transported to Anne Arundel Medical Center, where he died from his injuries.

An investigation is continuing. Police did not release the identity of the boy.

A Doylestown, Pa. man is arrested in the stabbing of a homeless man, found bleeding on the street outside a train station.

The Bucks County District Attorney's Office says Dale Wakefield was arrested in Baltimore after fleeing town.

The victim, 71-year-old Army veteran George Mohr, was stabbed more than 70 times, according to prosecutors.

A motorist driving by the train station on the 100 block of S. Clinton Street spotted Mohr around 2:45 a.m. and called for help.

Police say it originally appeared as if Mohr had been hit by a car, but once medics arrived on scene they realized he'd been stabbed.

Tonight, Mohr remains in critical condition at Temple University Hospital.

Prosecutors say Wakefield was turned in by his sister, who tipped off authorities after her brother allegedly confessed to her about the stabbing.

Wakefield was out celebrating his 21st birthday before the stabbing occured, prosecutors say.

He's now charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and possessing an instrument of crime.

Dozens of Fourth of July celebrants were injured Thursday night in a "fireworks mishap" at a Simi Valley, Calif., park, authorities said.

The injury count changed multiple times over the course of a quickly developing breaking news story. As of 11:30 p.m., 28 people were reported injured, Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Mike Lindberry told reporters at the scene.

Of those 28 victims, 20 were transported to the hospital -- 16 suffered minor injuries, four suffered moderate to severe injuries, Lindberry said. Eight people were treated and released on scene.

Initial injury counts reported 20 people were hurt then that figure was revised to 14 before Lindberry detailed those hurt in the explosion.

Between 8,000 and 10,000 people were expected to attend the Independence Day celebration Thursday night.

Witnesses said the professional fireworks show lasted just a few minutes before the huge explosion went off.

"We saw about three minutes of the show. There was some that went up in the area and everything just kind of scattered outwards and then everybody just started running," a witness told NBC4.

"Everything exploded and parts came flying everywhere,” another witness told NBC4. “People were running everywhere. So, it was pretty scary."

It happened about 9:20 p.m. at Rancho Santa Susana Community Center and Park (map), said Cmdr. John Parks, a watch commander for the Simi Valley Police Department.

Parks called the detonation a "fireworks mishap." He said initial information suggested the explosion was accidental.

Emergency medical and fire personnel were already at the park to monitor the fireworks show, so the victims were attended to quickly, Parks said.

The extent of the victims' injuries was not immediately known. It also was unclear how many of the 14 injured were transported to the hospital.

After the blast, park was evacuated, Parks said. Aerial footage showed dozens of people lingering on the outskirts of the scene and near the triage area set up on the grass, pictured below.

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Clinton police pulled a body from the harbor on Long Island Sound early Thursday.

A boater called to report the body around 9:30 a.m. Thursday, police said. Police and fire officials arrived to find the body about half a mile south of the Clinton channel.

Officials moved the body to the town marina on Riverside Drive. The state medical examiner's office moved the body to Farmington and is working to identify it and determinethe cause of death.

Police said they believed the body to be that of a white middle-aged man and that they do not suspect foul play. The body appeared to have been in the water for a few days to a week, according to police.

State EnCon Police are investigating.