Assistant Chief Manmeet Bhagtana: A suspect for the explosive has been identified and “we are very close” to making an arrest. Cheryl Maselli said she spent $6,000 replacing the windows of her restaurant, Michelina’s, after someone fired eight bullets at the State Street pizzeria two weeks ago. She said she has no idea why her restaurant was shot at, or why someone appears to have prematurely detonated an explosive device across from the restaurant later that same day. She called on neighbors to treat her as the victim of a crime, rather than a presumptive source of suspicion. Maselli was working at the restaurant on a bustling Thursday evening when about 15 East Rock neighbors gathered nearby at St. John’s Episcopal Church for a second community meeting about the July 29 shooting and explosion. East Rock/Downtown Alder Christine Kim had convened the meeting with representatives from the New Haven Police Department: Assistant Chief Manmeet Bhagtana, Assistant Chief Bertram Ettienne, and District Manager Sgt. Jarrell Lowery. According to the police leaders, the two incidents are being investigated separately and a suspect has been identified in the case of the explosion. “At this point in time, we don’t know if there was any connection between the two cases,” Lowery told the room. He reminded attendees that there is “still an active investigation,” limiting what police can disclose to the public. They also said that the New Haven Police Department is now in charge of both cases, after the FBI initially took the lead on investigating the explosion. Etienne emphasized that this shift of the case from the FBI to the NHPD is not unusual. “It’s very common when you have multiple agencies involved in [an] incident,” he said. After the meeting, he added that he did not know the reason behind the change of agencies. The FBI got involved because of the use of an explosive, he said, and anything from the “severity” of a case to its connections (or lack thereof) to other incidents might influence whether the FBI continues to investigate. What Police Know So Far District Manager Jarrell Lowery lays out what’s known and unknown. Lowery summarized that, on Wednesday, July 29, at around 2 a.m., someone fired multiple rounds into the window of Michelina’s. The restaurant was closed, nearly empty, and no one was injured. According to Lowery, only one employee appeared to be on the premises at the time, far from the window. The shooting left eight bullet holes in the restaurant’s front window. The incident took place just outside the range of the NHPD’s ShotSpotter technology, which automatically detects gunshots and reports them to the police. Maselli said she contacted someone she knew in the law enforcement field about the incident, but did not call 911. It was not until around 11 a.m. that the New Haven Police Department was notified of the incident. While reviewing security camera footage, police noticed a “dark-colored vehicle” — a sedan — leaving the area, but the car had no license plate. “That’s pretty much all the information I have” on the shooting, said Lowery on Thursday. The explosion took place over 19 hours later at around 9:45 p.m. “From what we know so far, someone in a dark-color SUV pulled up to the intersection of State and Clark Street and attempts to throw an explosive device out of the window, in the direction of the restaurant,” Lowery described. “The device detonates prematurely” — blowing up part of the person’s hand. Police believe that “it was an M-80,” said Bhagtana. “Like a large firework.” Lowery stressed that police do not know what that person’s intentions were or who was the intended target. “It is probably safe to assume that he was not intending to blow his hand off,” he said. According to Bhagtana, “We do have a suspect in mind” for this incident. “He has not been arrested, but we are very close” to making an arrest. Neighbors Question Lack Of 911 Calls Kevin McCarthy and about 15 other East Rockers at Thursday’s community meeting. Taking in these updates, neighbors who attended the meeting at St. John’s Episcopal Church questioned why Maselli hadn’t called 911 directly. “Did anyone ask the owner why she didn’t also report it to you guys?” asked Kevin McCarthy. Lowery reported what Maselli later echoed to the Independent: That she said she did not want to call too much attention to the incident out of concern for the reputation of her business. (Kim said that she had invited Maselli to the meeting. Maselli told the Independent that she had to be at work that night.) Lisa Siedlarz asked about the tenants upstairs above Michelina’s. “They couldn’t possibly have slept through it.” It’s “always a possibility” that someone else heard the shots but didn’t feel comfortable reporting the incident to police, said Lowery. He urged the group: “If you see something going on in your street that looks odd, something suspicious… Don’t be afraid to report it. Call the police.” He noted that callers can decide to remain anonymous. Joe Huether wondered if both the shooting and the explosion were intended to harm property rather than people. “It was just weird. It was kind of a vandalism by gunfire, followed by vandalism by fireworks,” he said. Ettienne cautioned that it’s too early to infer the motive or intention behind either incident. “It’s important that we don’t over-speculate. It’s unfair to the businesses,” he said. “I Never Judged Anybody For How They Drove To My Restaurant” Cheryl Maselli said she spent $6,000 replacing the windows after eight gunshots were fired at Michelina’s. Three blocks away on Thursday night, Cheryl Maselli was greeting customers and managing the flow at Michelina’s. She said she believes that both the shooting and the explosion were deliberately aimed at her restaurant, but she doesn’t know why. She said that she supports the police investigation into both incidents, that she provided her surveillance camera footage for police review, and that she’s waiting for the results of the investigation before drawing any conclusions. At a previous meeting in the aftermath of the incidents, East Rock neighbors had expressed concern about motorcycle club activity in the vicinity of Michelina’s. Maselli said that she does not share those concerns. “I never judged anybody for how they drove to my restaurant,” she said. And she noted, “I haven’t had any issues with any customer.” Maselli said she does not personally ride motorcycles, but the tenants who live on the second floor of the building do. “We’re all super friendly,” she said. “I feel safer because they’re upstairs.” She said she wishes that community members would recognize that “I’m a victim” and treat her with support, rather than suspicion. Overall, Maselli said, she has been relatively unfazed by the incidents. She still feels safe in the neighborhood. “My business didn’t skip a beat,” she said, noting that Michelina’s was even busier than usual the prior week. “Michelina’s is a family, fun, safe restaurant,” she said. “Everyone takes care of each other.” Customers come from all over “because of what my food tastes like” and because “the energy is always good.” As she spoke, two customers hailing from Bridgeport exited the restaurant, effusively praising both the food and the atmosphere inside as they passed by. “We’re on TikTok!” they told her. “Tag me!” she said. The post Police Still Investigating Restaurant Shooting, Explosion appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less