Authorities are investigating after a 25-year veteran of the Hartford Fire Department shot another man in the stomach late Friday afternoon in the city's North End, according to police.
Hartford police spokesman Deputy Chief Brian Foley said firefighter Donald Brown, 54, was involved in an altercation with Lascelles Reid, 31, of Simsbury, at 131 Hebron Street in Hartford shortly before 4 p.m. Friday. Brown is accused of shooting Reid in the abdomen in the driveway of the single-family home. Police said the two knew one another but haven't released the details of their relationship.
Brown told police he had a neighbor call 911 and police received an emergency call at 4:58 p.m. reporting someone was shot in the driveway at the address.
Police found Reid conscious and lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the torso when they arrived. An American Medical Response ambulance transported him to Saint Francis Hospital and he is listed in serious condition. Police said Reid's injuries do not appear to be life-threatening.
"We heard a pop... and my mother looked at me and said, 'That sounded like a gunshot,'" said witness Marcia Clark. "I walked up the street as far as I could go because you had to stay behind the yellow tape and I saw a guy lying on the ground, and he seemed to be moving."
Police said Brown was legally carrying the gun he used, a 9mm Sig Sauer pistol. He has a valid Connecticut pistol permit and no criminal history, police said. He was taken in custody for questioning and is cooperating with detectives.
Brown told police he shot Reid once because he was afraid of him. Police seized the gun and a shell casing matching it found in the driveway.
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Police said he was released from the police department after he was questioned. No arrest has been made and no one is in custody in connection to the incident.
Reid hasn't been available for police to question because of his serious condition, but police plan on interviewing him to further understand the details of what happened.
A source within the fire department said up until recently, Brown was a member of Engine 10 on Franklin Avenue. He has been transferred to Engine 14 at the corner of Blue Hills and Albany avenues but has not yet reported to the station because he's on workman's compensation.
Police said Brown has been a Hartford firefighter for 25 years and that he was off-duty at the time of the incident due to a work-related injury.
"I was just surprised it was a firefighter, someone that takes care of us and protects us," said Clark. "Unbelievable."
Hartford Fire Capt. Helene Lynch said in a written statement that Brown is a Hartford resident and that he "has been off the line on a work related injury since March 2014."
"His involvement in an off-duty shooting incident at 131 Hebron Street, Hartford is under investigation by the Hartford Police Department and the States Attorney’s Office," she said. "We are confident that both agencies will conduct a thorough and exhaustive investigation of the incident and the status of his employment will then be determined."
Police sources told NBC Connecticut that the man shot may have been the boyfriend of Brown's sister. Brown owns the home where the incident occurred and his sister's boyfriend was helping with some renovation work when the two men got into an argument, police sources told NBC Connec;ticut.
The case remains under investigation and Hartford police detectives in the Major Crimes Division are handling it. They secured the scene for processing.
Police said the state's attorney will have a hand in the investigation and they plan to remain in constant communication about the case.
