19-year-old man arrested in Connecticut mall shooting that wounded 5 bystanders

UPI

28-05-2025

May 28 (UPI) -- Police in Connecticut say the 19-year-old suspect who allegedly shot five people at a mall was arrested.
Tajuan Washington was identified Wednesday as the suspect behind Tuesday's shooting incident at Brass Mill Center in Waterbury that left five bystanders wounded.
Washington was charged with five counts of assault and other weapon violations and was being held on a $2 million bond.
"We are very shaken to have this happen here," Waterbury Mayor Paul Pernerewski said Tuesday, adding "we're not broken" and that Waterbury is a "strong city and we are very much standing together."
Authorities were called to the scene around 4:43 p.m local time after reports of gunfire.
They said shooting victims included four women and one man ranging in age from 20 to 26 who were transported to a local hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
According to reports, three have been released and two are said to be in stable condition.
Police officials said the shooting was not a random act of violence and believe it started as a fight between two unidentified men.
"Evidence suggests the shooting stemmed from a dispute between individuals known to each other, which escalated into gunfire," Waterbury police officials wrote in a Facebook post.
They said Washington allegedly pulled out a gun then fired at the man and four others with him before he fled the scene and officers eventually caught up to him.
Waterbury police officials say shoppers "went with their instincts" and sheltered before police arrived on the scene.
"They were very cooperative in assisting with law enforcement's efforts to make the scene safe," stated Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo.
On Wednesday during a new conference update, Gov. Ned Lemon said the shooting incident was a "terrible tragedy" that "ripples right into the community" and called Waterbury one of Connecticut's "safest cities" with a "full police force."
"But I really worry," the two-term Democratic governor said. "This type of crime is just shocking to me."
Meanwhile, the mall was reportedly closed Wednesday with a spokesperson saying mall officials were working "in full cooperation" with Waterbury police as they investigated "this unfortunate incident."
"There is no ongoing threat to the public and we will open under normal operating hours once cleared by the city," Brass Miller Center added.
In addition, Washington was charged with a flurry of other charges including risk of injury to a child, criminal use of a weapon, illegal firearm discharge, first-degree reckless endangerment, carrying a non-permit pistol and illegal possession of weapons in a vehicle.