Branford police say a gunman was found dead early Tuesday evening, after causing an afternoon-long standoff by firing many shots towards a roadway and businesses across the street. A name and a cause of death have not been released.
Officials confirm that one person was struck by the wild gunfire, suffering non-life threatening wounds.
WTIC spoke to Steve Milano, manager of Richlin Home and Auto, one of a number of small businesses across the street from the source of the shooting, 241 Main St. He heard gunfire break out just before noon:
"Between 200 and 300 rounds. It was an automatic weapon, definitely. No one knew what was happening, until the police came, and they were diving for cover, too, for a while there, because they pulled up right in front. The house is directly across the street. We're all away from the front of the store. The police called and the fire department called wanting to know how many people we had in here and 'please stay away from the front of the building.'"
Ordered into lockdown by authorities, Milano spent the afternoon with employees and customers in the back of his store.
"We're in the direct line of fire," Milano said.
241 Main St. in Branford is a 19th Century home, converted into a hair salon on the ground floor and residences upstairs, the apparent location of the gunman. An employee at the salon, Leon James International Hair Studio, says, "We're ok."