Waterbury police said they have arrested a 19-year-old suspect in the shooting of another teen inside the Brass Mill Center mall on Dec. 8.
Police said during a news conference that they believe there was a fight over a girlfriend before Marcos Gonzalez Jr, 19, of Waterbury, shot the 17-year-old in the mall food court around 5 p.m. that night.
“He is a convicted felon,” Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said. “He has some larceny charges that are connected with automobile theft. He's 19 years old, so he's only been an adult for a short period of time. He is very familiar to us here at the Waterbury Police Department as a juvenile offender.”
Police said there was a "pretty significant fight" that happened before the shooting. They anticipate more arrests for that component of the incident.
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The teen was taken to the hospital and went through emergency surgery, officials said. Police said he recovered from the wounds and is out of the hospital.
Gonzalez has been charged with assault in the first degree, reckless endangerment in the first degree, carrying a pistol without a permit, criminal possession of a pistol, criminal possession of a firearm or ammunition, illegal discharge of a firearm and illegal transfer, purchase or sale of a firearm.
Police said he shot the victim twice in the chest and he has prior convictions.
The bond for Gonzalez has been set at $1.5 million. He is due back in court at the end of December.
His family said he is a good kid who acted in self-defense. The public defender said numerous witnesses reported that numerous people were waiting for him and attacked him.
“He got scared,” a man who identified himself as Gonzalez’s dad said outside of court. “People was gonna jump him or something.”
In court Thursday, a state attorney said Gonzalez fired the shots in a busy mall and should be considered a danger. A public defender implied that the defendant was acting in self-defense.
“Numerous witnesses have reported that he was attacked by numerous people, and people were waiting for him in order to do that,” a public defender said in court.
Police said Gonzalez tossed the gun in a grassy area on Interstate 84 and a K9 found it.
“[The gun] was out in a public area in a public roadway, close proximity to the mall. [It] could have been found by anyone really, and we're grateful to get that handgun into our possession and off the streets,” Spagnolo said.
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