Sighting of Man with Rifle, Scope Closes Transfer Station

The sighting of an unidentified man allegedly carrying a rifle Wednesday shut down the Hamden Transfer Station, Wintergreen Avenue and two New Haven schools.

According to Hamden Police spokesman Capt. Ronald Smith, police got a report of a man with a rifle at the Transfer Station at about 1:30 p.m. Witnesses told police that the rifle had on it a scope, Smith said.

An employee at the transfer station told police that they saw the man, possibly of Asian descent, approximately 5’6”, thin build, wearing a black jacket, standing on the north end of the property holding the rifle, Smith said.

 "Several Hamden Police Officers, with the assistance of Officer Craig Appleby and his K-9 partner “Hunter,” conducted a comprehensive and thorough search through the wooded area," Smith said. "The search met with negative results. Furthermore, officers conducted a neighborhood canvass in an attempt to locate the individual."

The investigation involved police officers from the New Haven, Southern Connecticut State University and Yale University police departments, Smith said, which assisted in setting up a perimeter around the area.

"During the course of the search, Wintergreen Avenue was closed to all pedestrian and vehicular traffic," Smith said. "In addition, several New Haven schools were placed on lockdown. The Hamden Transfer Station was closed for the remainder of the day."

Police are continuing their investigation, Smith said, and anyone with information is asked to contact the Hamden Police Department at 203-230-4000.