HARTFORD, Conn. (WTIC Radio) - After months of high-profile crimes involving youth, the shooting death of a 14-year-old from Hamden seems to have sparked a new intensity from the Lamont Administration in its attempt to stop them.
State police identify the victim as Will Vasquez, who they say was shot in the head, then dropped off at a Waterbury hospital early Monday morning. It's unclear where Vasquez was attacked. Gov. Ned Lamont said he "got into a car he shouldn't have gotten into."
Vasquez' mother and grandmother attended an announcement by the governor on the Capitol steps. They did not speak publicly, but Gov. Lamont summed up his conversation with them: They feel the judicial system wasn't tough enough on Will, who they describe as a good kid who started getting into trouble when the pandemic hit.
"'I wish the system had just been a little bit stricter,'" Lamont said, characterizing his conversation with the family, "'I wish the probation had been a little stronger after his first offense... I wish the ankle bracelet had GPS so it didn't just track when somebody left the house, but tracked where they went.'"
Joining the governor were Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection James Rovella and Waterbury Mayor Neil O'Leary, who both described the trouble with youth crime in stark terms.
"There's 100 to 200 kids in this state-- youth-- that need (to be taken) into custody, that need to be slowed down in life," said Rovella. "Some of these kids become crime waves... We need to save their lives, right? We need to make sure that they have the wraparound services. They need to know that we do not want to put them in jail, but we need to slow them down."
"In Waterbury, there are probably 20 offenders, most under the age of 18, who are responsible for at least 80% of the crime," said Mayor O'Leary. "We label them 'high risk, repeat juvenile offenders.' They're the ones involved with the stolen cars, the gunplay, the shootings, the robberies, the increase in crime."
Rovella went on the repeat that the 100-200 alleged offenders "need to come into custody." In an e-mail, a spokesman for Gov. Lamont later explained what that might entail:
"There are what are known as “take into custody” orders. If utilized properly then law enforcement are able to take those minors into custody for a period of time... The governor and Commissioner Rovella are advocating for our partners in the judicial branch to use these tools that they have at their disposal to get young offenders the wraparound services they need." --Max Reiss, spokesman for Gov. Ned Lamont
Gov. Lamont said he'll appoint an "interim class of judges" to break a logjam of cases involving juveniles.
"We have places we can put these folks, short of full prison," the governor said. "We've got secure group facilities, where the kid does not go out and have the opportunity to endanger himself or endanger others."
State Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly (R-Stratford) suggests Lamont is late to the game on the issue: "The Governor can no longer turn a blind eye to the rise in violent crime and the outcry from communities across our state for both justice reforms and support for our kids. It sounds like Gov. Lamont is finally starting to realize the situation we are in."
***
Commissioner Rovella said car theft is a frequent youth crime, and that means another danger to the public: untrained drivers behind the wheel.
"Once you steal a car, you have an inexperienced driver," according to Rovella, "with a high powered machine of which they're not capable of operating."