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September 7, 2006
Assistant Chief Badger,
We have followed the news stories
relating to the tragic death of Justus Suggs, and the
subsequent arrest of 16-year-old Thaddeus Rout. According
to the New Haven Independent, "Police Chief Cisco Ortiz
said police believe the boy (Rout) got into a fight
with some kids from the Hill - not including Justus
- at a concert on the New Haven Green on July 29. The
boy later "sought out a gun" and took a car to the Hill,
where teens were spilling out of a carnival at the Career
High School. The boy opened fire from a car, "targeting
a group of kids" on bikes - not Justus in particular,
said Ortiz."
The New Haven Register wrote, "As
for the police, they say they have the gun Rout used
and the car he was in, and now they have him behind
bars on three million dollars bond. He'll be back in
court on September 5th."
This is a perfect example of the
issues Ms. Barbara Fair and I discussed with you recently.
The focus of the New Haven PD is to arrest the shooter.
At no point is there any mention of the other crime
that was committed: the crime that allowed a 16-year-old
boy to obtain a gun within a few hours of an incident,
and then kill an innocent young bystander.
When we spoke with you, you stated
that you understood that addressing illegal gun trafficking
needed to be a priority, and you stated your support
for raising awareness about the role trafficking plays
in gun violence. The press conference announcing the
arrest of Rout was a perfect opportunity for the New
Haven PD to do that -- to publicly pledge to track down
the accessory to this hideous crime (the provider of
the gun). Instead, the New Haven Independent states,
"Ortiz said he did not expect further arrests in the
case."
We want your commitment that every
effort will be made to identify, arrest, and prosecute
the provider(s) of the illegal gun used to kill Justus
Suggs. The community deserves to know where Rout got
that gun.
We hope to hear from you quickly
on this matter.
Sincerely, Lisa Labella
Co-Executive Director
CT Against Gun Violence (CAGV)
P.O. Box 523
Southport, CT 06890
Phone: 203-268-3050
Fax: 203-268-2940
www.cagv.org
Copies to: Local press, community
groups, mayor's office
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