New Haven mom mourns ‘good son,’ 15, shot dead, criticizes ambulance response time

New Haven firefighters wash what appears to be blood off of the sidewalk on Vernon Street after a triple shooting Friday night in which a 15-year-old was killed. New Haven firefighters wash what appears to be blood off of the sidewalk on Vernon Street after a triple shooting Friday night in which a 15-year-old was killed. Photo: Kristin Stoller — New Haven Register Photo: Kristin Stoller — New Haven Register Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close New Haven mom mourns ‘good son,’ 15, shot dead, criticizes ambulance response time 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

NEW HAVEN >> A woman who identified herself as the mother of two of the victims in Friday night’s triple shooting appeared shocked as she grieved her young son’s death, hugging neighbors and family members outside her home Saturday morning.

“How do you think a mother feels?” Lisa Craggett asked, standing in front of her house. She said the pain of losing a child couldn’t be described. “You have a good child, a good son, a good 15-year-old boy who is dead because some punk wanted to shoot up a car.”

Police have identified the victims in Friday night’s triple shooting in which the 15-year-old boy was killed.

Jacob Craggett succumbed to his wounds and died Friday night at Yale-New Haven Hospital. His brother, Joshua, 23, and Timothy Jones, 22, are in critical but stable condition at the hospital, according to a press release issued by city spokesman Laurence Grotheer.

Police responded at about 9 p.m. to several 911 calls reporting gunfire at Davenport Avenue and Vernon Street. Officers arrived and found two victims with gunshot wounds.

At the same time, police received more 911 calls about a vehicle located on Park Street near Howard Avenue, with a man inside who also had been shot, according to the release.

Police believe a car in which the men were riding was approached by two or more people while it was stopped at Davenport and Vernon. Several rounds were then shot into the car.

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The Craggett brothers and one other man in the vehicle, 17-year-old Jerray Jackson, exited the vehicle immediately, while the driver, Jones, drove on to Park Street. Jackson was not injured in the shooting, Grotheer said.

Police noted the investigation “is in its infancy” but, from all indications, it appears the victims’ car was targeted in the incident.

Read more: Residents, officials dispute ambulance response time in fatal shooting

Lisa Craggett said she was at work when the shooting occurred and received a call from a stranger, telling her that her son had been shot and to come home immediately.

Police Chief Dean Esserman and Assistant Chief of Police Archie Generoso met with family members of the victims Friday evening, and Generoso and Mayor Toni Harp consoled family members Saturday morning.

“While we await additional information from the police investigation, we join all city residents mourning the violent death of this 15-year-old child,” Harp said in the release. “This heartbreaking incident underscores one more time the tragic potential of all-too-easy access to guns that have no useful purpose on city streets.”

Outreach workers from New Haven Family Alliance also worked to counsel and reassure neighbors Friday night.

A Register reporter on the scene saw several police units converge on the scene within minutes of the shooting and close off several surrounding blocks. A heavy police presence could be seen around a house on Vernon, just off Davenport.

Two pools of what appeared to be blood were visible in the road on Davenport Avenue as detectives gathered evidence.

One man who lives near the scene of the shooting said he was watching the Yankees game when he heard yelling from the street.

A man crying near the scene Friday night was yelling, “He’s dead, he’s dead!” More yelling and screaming could be heard in the vicinity of Yale-New Haven Hospital, which is a short distance from the scene. Several people could be seen waiting around the entrance to the hospital’s emergency room late Friday night.

On Saturday morning, members of the New Haven Fire Department were seen washing what appeared to be blood off the sidewalk on Vernon Street at about 8:45 a.m.

Police are asking anyone with additional information about this incident to call detectives at 203-946-6316.

Including this latest incident, there have been eight shooting victims in New Haven in the past week.

This story will be updated as information becomes available. Assistant Breaking News Editor Wes Duplantier contributed to this report.