Police in Bridgeport are investigating a killing that has shaken a public housing community, after a man was shot to death outside the PT Barnum apartment complex. City police say the victim, 46-year-old Johnny Nesmith, was fatally shot early Sunday morning, the latest homicide the department is working to solve.
The shooting unfolded in the overnight hours at the sprawling complex. It happened around 1 a.m. outside building 21, according to Bridgeport police, in a part of the community where residents live close together and where the sudden violence quickly drew a heavy police response.
Details about the victim point to ties across the region. Bridgeport police say Nesmith's listed address was in Hamden, but he had also lived in Bridgeport, connecting him to the community where he was killed and where many of those who knew him were gathered that weekend.
The timing of the shooting has added to the pain felt by residents. There had been a reunion for members of the community held earlier that day, and the homicide took place right after that gathering, turning what had been a day of reconnection into the scene of a fatal shooting.
For those who live there, the killing has been deeply unsettling. Residents described the event as traumatizing, and acknowledged how hard it can be for people to come forward in the aftermath of such violence, even when it happens in the middle of their own community.
Investigators believe there are people who can help. Police say there were individuals standing right next to Nesmith who know the person who shot him, and they are urging anyone with information about the shooting to contact the Bridgeport Police Department, stressing that witnesses could be key to solving the case.