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Updated Saturday, 2:37 p.m. Saturday.:
NORWALK, Conn. – A Norwalk man was pronounced dead Friday night at Norwalk Hospital after at least three shots were fired at him behind a Norwalk apartment building in the city's first homicide of 2012, police say.
Joseph Bateman, 20, was next to the rapids of the Norwalk River when he was fatally shot, on a walkway behind the Avalon Gates Apartments at 26 Belden Ave.
Bateman was also shot a little more than a year ago, on New Year's Day 2011. He was also connected to the 2010 shooting death of Amos "A.J" Brown Jr.
Bateman was shot at about 5:41 p.m. Friday. Witnesses said a group of teenagers ran up to the victim after the shooting and said police arrived quickly and performed CPR. They said three shots were fired. Police had three markers on the sidewalk, in an area cordoned off by police tape.
Bateman was arrested in 2010 in connection with Brown's death. Police said Bateman was at the scene of that fatal shooting Aug. 13, 2010, near Lexington Avenue in South Norwalk and was operating one of the vehicles involved.
On Jan. 1, 2011, he was shot in the face. Bateman walked into the emergency room of Norwalk Hospital, seeking assistance. He was able to talk but "less than cooperative," police said. Police found three bullet holes in his white Jeep Cherokee but did not know how old they were.
Residents of the apartment building expressed concern about the type of people using the scenic walkway behind the building. A man walking his dogs said "all sorts of lowlife" cut through, attracted by the betting business and the bus terminal on the other side, and the courthouse across the street.
Many comments were on Twitter on Friday night that seemed to refer to the shooting. "Norwalk is out of control," said one. "Norwalk not even safe nomore smh (shaking my head) dont knoe whats ganna happen," reads another.
"Seem like you gotta get outta norwalk if you wanna live," "losing good people at young ages ! R.I.P all the beautiful souls" and "This is why I hate Norwalk Man.. smh R.I.P Jab" indicated that the word had gotten around.
Another said: "My heart goes out to the family who lost their son in Norwalk today :( so sad these things happen. God Bless"
Detectives were actively pursuing several leads in Friday night's homicide. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Norwalk Police Detective Bureau at 203-854-3011 or 203-854-3192. All calls will be kept confidential.
Original story:
At least three shots were fired at a man behind a Norwalk apartment building Friday evening in what Norwalk police confirm was a shooting. They offered no details on the shooting victim's identity or condition.
The shooting happened at about 5:44 p.m. at the Avalon apartment complex on Belden Avenue, Lt. Paul Vinett said. Witnesses say they heard three shots. Police have the walkway between the apartment building and the river cordoned off with police tape.
Witnesses say a group of teenagers ran up to the victim after the shooting. They said police performed CPR on the victim, who was taken to Norwalk Hospital, where a crowd reportedly was beginning to form.
Comments (16)
There is a lot wrong with housing projects, but it is wrong to blame the projects for all the crime. There are good people in the projects more unhappy than anyone here about the image created by a few who give a project address when they get arrested, some because they don't want to give their real address. There are some young people in the projects who want to be part of a gang and carry a gun and make a lot of money dealing drugs because they imagine that is a sure path to success. For most it turns out to be a quick path to addiction and incarceration. There are some people making big money in the drug business, but they are seldom found anywhere near the projects and seldom get caught.
This blood fued between two groups bent on vengeance is dangerous for us all and we can only hope the right intelligence will lead to incarceration for the leadership on both sides, and the fued will fizzle out.
A better alternative to public housing projects would be to convert the apartments to some kind of ownership basis for the residents. If all the resident were owners, many of the problems would disappear. The knuckleheads would have to find someplace else to hang around and plot the next move in the blood fued. Didn't the Hatfields and the McCoys carry on a fued for so long nobody living remembered what it was about ?
Tim T doesn't know what he wants....First he complains that the police engage in a chase and should have not chased a criminal and let him go and THEN he complains that they do nothing to stop or solve crime??????????????? which one is it MR T.? You can t have it both ways.No one says the police shouldn't do THEIR job and try to solve crime and WHERE POSSIBLE prevent it. But you cant expect them to solve problems created by 50 years of liberalism that have driven this country into the ground socially. The way to prevent crime is by strengthening the FAMILY. The police cant do this, neither can the mayor or the police chief. Its a cultural problem when you have a person who thinks its OK to point a gun at someone and pull the trigger. If you think differently than you are part of the problem. 90% of all crime in Norwalk stems from the housing projects. You can try to ignore it and pretend that it doesn't exist but you know what the family dynamic in these situations is (FOR THE MOST, I realize there are exceptions). Housing complex's are a LIBERAL experiment that went bad and was never corrected. The writer at the top is correct...you want to fix the problem in Norwalk take a wrecking ball to the housing complexes. Sorry...sometimes the truth hurts.
Between the OTB, the Bus Depot and the shanty town Under that Bridge, that pathway thru the beautiful luxury condos is really super sketchy, i walk through it daily with my 4 year old and it is a never ending parade of junkies, drunks and crack heads. One time we saw a guy nodding out so hard that he almost went right over the railing. Perhaps there needs to be a foot patrol officer in that spot during OTB and Bus Station operating hours? Who is buying or renting (or whatever the Avalon does) a luxury spot completely surrounded by junkies, crackheads, degenerate gamblers etc...etc..? Can't you get a luxury apartment without those amenities?
Homes and neighborhoods both. Tim is here bashing them for doing nothing and in the crack head accident story is complaining that they did something. What is it? Are they too lazy or too gung ho?
It's a tragedy whenever someone gets killed, but placing blame on the police is not going to help. They can't do anything without cooperation.
ID be happy if we shut down every housing project and cut off all assistance. I pay taxes here and part of the reason they are so high is babysitting the violent high crime areas. Get rid of the places they live and make Norwalk a better place.
First I am not bashing anyone what I am doing is stating facts and the facts are not pretty. What I want is the NPD to do the job correctly for a change. This inappropriate chase that they engaged in could have killed an innocent person. How would you feel if it was your wife of child that was killed because of the NPD's action. Try thinking before you speak this way you will not make a fool of yourself. The officer that engaged in this chase should be fired ands possiblly brought up on criminal charges.
Do not tell me about Norwalk police because they kill people - and I know that for a fact and they beat innocent women up!!!! You have no clue. There are some good ones who have saved me on many occasions and for that I say thank you. Norwalk is out of control and perhaps if we had the good guys back it would go somewhere but then Norwalk makes scapegoats out of the finest!!!! Jabby was a son, a brother, a friend etc and he a life ahead of him but it was cut short and he has left a legacy! Perhaps we should learn something from him. Kuta is another one and with the help of the PD he is dead! God bless both and bless their family who love them. Thank God I am out of there and in a better place but they have impacted my family and there is no excuse.
Norwalk is being overrun by filth with low set ears
Nothing will change with the out of control crime in Norwalk until Rilling is replaced with a chief from outside the old boys club of the NPD that will clean house from the top down. However that will not happen with the moron Moccia as mayor. The Detective bureau needs to be the first to go as clearly they are incompetent which is evident with the many many (almost 100 percen)t of unsolved crimerate. Rilling said almost 2 years ago that they were aware of what group was committing these killings and they were close to moving in on them. That was 6 murders ago. The killers will die of old age before the keystone cops of the NPD catch them.
Tim T, still waiting to hear you are going to the police academy and became a police officer...after all, the way you write is like YOU personally could keep ANY city safe!
You seem to be extremely ignorant. However no need for you to prove this time after time we get the drift.
You have lost the plot, bless you!
Tim T, the Norwalk Police are professional and dedicated. Every day they answer the call, no matter what is required. What have YOU done to serve Norwalk?
I pay taxes..See that's the way it works..The Norwalk police are a failure plain and simple and anyone who does not see this is either a cop themselves or a relative of one or just plain stupid.It's because of simpletons like you that the NPD, Moccia and Rilling are allowed to get away with this incompetence. NOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND.
Avalon Apartment complex...Humm so much for the Mocica redevelopment of Norwalk...just add this to the long long list of unsolved crimes by the Norwalk police. Hey the NPD sould have a show like RENO 911 as they are a JOKE.
Mr. Tim T...unfortunately YOU are the ignorant one here. You really expect any person, the Mayor or the Police, to fix society's failures? What are they supposed to do...wave a magic wand and go back in time and fix these families that turn out these low lives? Should they wave a wand and go back 20 years and put responsible positive role model father figures in these homes where there clearly were none? oooooh...did I say the forbidden? Now call me a racist. Instead you should agree and understand that only when the real issues/problems are addressed and political correctness stops will a permanent fix come about. You get the point....I don't need to go on....the fix needs to start in these kids homes and until it does all the Police and Mayor can do is pick up the bodies...
OK YOU ARE A RACIST. WHAT I EXPECT IS THE CHIEF TO DO HIS JOB AND SOLVED AND OR PREVENT CRIME. I ALSO EXPECT THE CHIEF TO FORCE HIS OFFICER AND DETECTIVES TO SOLVE AND OR PREVENT CRIME. I ALSO EXPECT WHEN THE THE CHIEF DOES NOT DO HIS JOB FOR THE MAYOR TO FIRE HIM. SEE THATS WHAT I PAY TAXES FOR AND LOTS OF THEM . BEING YOU SEEM TO BE VERY IGNORANT I WILL TRY TO EXPLAIN IT TO YOU THIS WAY. IF YOU PURCHASE A NEW CAR AND THE TRANSMISSION GOES. YOU BRING THE CAR FOR REPAIR BACK TO THE DEALER. THEY SAY TO YOU HEY WE CAN NOT FIX IT SORRY BE ON YOUR WAY. WOULD YOU ACCEPT THIS OR WOULD YOU SAY HEY I PAID FOR THAT CAR AND I WANT IT FIXED...IT'S THE SAME THING WITH CITY SERVICES I PAY TAXES AND I WANT ISSUES SUCH AS CRIME FIXED. IF MOCCIA AND RILLING CAN NOT DO IT THEN IT IS TIME TO GET SOMEONE WHO CAN, JUST LIKE THEY DID IN NYC. NOW DOES THE SIMPLETON UNDERSTAND? SORRY ABOUT THE CAPS BUT THAT IS HOW THE SPEECH RECOGNITION ON MY PHONE TYPED IT ANS YOU ARE REALLY NOT WORTHY OF ME DOING IT OVER.