Residents of Daggett Street, near the Yale School of Medicine, reported multiple gunshots fired in the neighborhood Thursday afternoon. No injuries were reported.
The southeastern end of Daggett Street was taped off, and police cars were placed on each end of the street while detectives canvassed the area, including houses and bushes on either side of the street. The police began to take down the tape at 2:30 p.m. and declared the area clear minutes later. According to detectives on scene, nothing suspicious was discovered, but the investigation is ongoing.
Yale sent multiple alerts about the incidents, first warning the campus community to avoid the area and then advising that the area had been cleared.
A witness, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the topic, reported the shooting to the police when he heard eight shots being fired while washing his car in the driveway. According to the witness — who has been a resident of Daggett Street for more than two decades — the safety of the neighborhood has deteriorated in recent years. He attributed the cause to neglect by the city and drug abuse in the area. He added he no longer allows his children to sit outside on their porch.
“It’s ugly, it’s scary, it’s just plain dangerous,” he said.
Yale Security Officer Johnny Oeung confirmed Thursday night that no one in the area was hurt, adding that the gun shots occurred in an area outside of Yale Security’s jurisdiction.
While one of four students interviewed said the alerts were “worrying,” others said the alerts did not make them feel unsafe on campus.
“[I felt] safer because it seemed like it was already handled,” Alex Chang ’19 said. [The gunshots] seemed pretty removed. I felt a bit safer that we got a notification.”
Cody Clements ’19 said because the gun shots happened nearly a quarter mile away from campus, he did not feel unsafe.
Daggett Street is located in Ward 3.