Police searching for suspect connected to shooting near Saint Joseph campus in West Hartford
Police have identified a suspect in a reported West Hartford shooting near the University of Saint Joseph campus early Friday morning.
State police in Massachusetts and the West Hartford Police Department are searching for Darnell Barnes, 22, who is suspected in a shooting on campus at St. Joseph’s around 2:30 a.m. Friday. According to the Massachusetts State Police, the victim was shot multiple times.
The West Hartford Police Department responded to a parking lot on the west side of the campus just before 2:30 a.m. on Friday for reported gunfire, while also attending to a one-car rollover crash near the area on Albany Avenue near Bainton Road that was believed to be connected to the gunshots, West Hartford police said Friday.
The driver of the vehicle sustained serious injuries and was transported to an area hospital for treatment, according to West Hartford police. Albany Avenue was shut down between Steele Road and Prospect Avenue while police investigated but was later reopened.
Information from the West Hartford Police Department later placed Barnes in the Blandford and Russell area of Massachusetts, according to the Massachusetts State Police.
Massachusetts troopers located a black Nissan Pathfinder with New Mexico plates that Barnes was allegedly driving on the Mass Pike in Blandford, Massachusetts. He was not located and no firearms were recovered from the vehicle, Massachusetts State Police said.
The search for Barnes was ongoing and involved patrols, K9 teams, tactical units and the Massachusetts State Police Drone Unit. The search area included heavily wooded locations, according to the Massachusetts State Police.
The Massachusetts State Police was urging residents of Blandford and Russell to take precautions such as remaining inside if possible keeping their doors locked, being aware of their surroundings, and calling 911 if they saw Barnes. He is described as 5 feet 5 and 145 pounds and is believed to be armed and dangerous.
A warrant for Barnes’ arrest has been issued and is extraditable anywhere in the United States and Puerto Rico, according to West Hartford police. The charges include first-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, evading responsibility, first-degree criminal mischief and second-degree assault with a motor vehicle, West Hartford police said. According to West Hartford police, the court set Barnes’ bond at $1,000,000.
West Hartford police told Saint Joseph officials that there is no threat to the community, according to a statement from Saint Joseph Director of Marketing and Communications Stacy Routhier on Friday morning.
The school proceeded with classes and activities as scheduled, Routhier said.
Anyone with information about this incident or who may know Barnes’ whereabouts is asked to contact the West Hartford Police Department Detective Division at 860-570-8870, the WHPD Tip Line at 860-570-8969 or email at whpdtips@westhartfordct.gov.
