This morning at roughly 9:00 AM, a targeted shooting occurred outside of the Catholic Academy of New Haven, located at 351 McKinley Ave. Of the ten shots fired, seven hit the school building, with one bullet entering a pre-kindergarten classroom. No students were harmed. The target of the shooting, an adult male who was walking a child to the school, sustained a non-life threatening gunshot wound.
The Catholic Academy of New Haven has a crisis plan in place which was immediately implemented when the incident began, resulting in a lock-down of the premises. This procedure is rehearsed periodically to prepare the faculty, staff, and students for emergencies. Additionally, this crisis plan is on file with the New Haven Police Department. The Archdiocese of Hartford is proud of the faculty and staff of the Catholic Academy of New Haven for executing this plan with total precision and care for the student body. Counselors are on-site to offer emotional support to students.
We wish to thank the New Haven Police Department for their swift response, and Mayor-Elect Justin Elicker for his visit and compassion for our community. We also would like to offer our assurance to the community of the Catholic Academy of New Haven that neither the school nor its students were the target of this senseless and violent act, and that the safety of the student body is the top priority for all of our schools.