Hamden Man Charged with Shooting at Children

A Park Road man is facing charges after he allegedly fired a gun to scare two children off his property.

Hamden Police got a report involving the discharge of a firearm on May 4, police spokesman Capt. Ronald Smith said Tuesday.

When police arrived, they found two New Haven youth ages 15 and 12 who told police that they were riding their bicycles on Park Road when one became disabled, Smith said. The two then went onto private property looking for a stick to use to fix the bike, he said.

As they were looking, Richard Pinney, 32, of Park Road, came outside and yelled for the children to leave, Smith said. The children saw that Pinney had a gun tucked in his pants and they took off, he said. 

"While running southbound on Park Road, the youths stated that Pinney fired 'two or three shots' into the air," Smith said. "Hamden Police subsequently surrounded Pinney’s residence. He was contacted by telephone and ordered out of the house. He surrendered without incident.

"Furthermore, Hamden Police confiscated 12 firearms from his home," Smith said. "Pinney advised police that he thought one of the youths had a brick in his hands and that he was attempting to break a garage window."

Pinney was charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm, first-degree reckless endangerment, two counts of risk of injury to a minor and second-degree breach of peace.

He was held in lieu of $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Meriden Superior Court on May 18.

The Hamden Police Department Detective Division is continuing the investigation.