Bridgeport PD has person of interest in 12-year-old’s murder

Clinton Howell, 12, of Bridgeport, Conn., was fatally shot on Dec. 18, 2018, in front of his home on Willow Street. Police said he was not the intended target. Clinton Howell, 12, of Bridgeport, Conn., was fatally shot on Dec. 18, 2018, in front of his home on Willow Street. Police said he was not the intended target. Photo: Contributed Photo / Clinton Howell's Family / Contributed Photo Photo: Contributed Photo / Clinton Howell's Family / Contributed Photo Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close Bridgeport PD has person of interest in 12-year-old’s murder 1 / 23 Back to Gallery

BRIDGEPORT — A week before Christmas and a month before his birthday, bullets ended 12-year-old Clinton Howell’s life outside his Willow Street home.

But less than 24 hours after his murder, police said they have identified a person of interest.

Police said Howell was shot around 9 p.m. outside his family’s light green duplex in the 200 block of Willow Street. Capt. Brian Fitzgerald said the boy was rushed to Bridgeport Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time after, becoming the city’s 11th homicide of 2018.

He was shot once to the chest, a wound that Fitzgerald called “unsurvivable” at a press conference in Bridgeport Police Chief Armando Perez’s office on Wednesday, which brought out Mayor Joe Ganim and two city council members. Initially, hospital personnel told police that Howell was shot twice.

The drive-by shooting was likely sparked by an ongoing dispute by the suspect or suspects and the intended target or targets, Fitzgerald said. But he said Howell was not a part of the ongoing dispute and was not the intended target Tuesday night.

At the time of the shooting, Fitzgerald said, Howell was outside his home with two other people — one of them over the age of 18. Detectives are looking into the possibility that one, or both, of those people might have been the intended target, Fitzgerald said.

Police are still working to determine whether the suspects drove the Howell’s home intentionally because of the ongoing dispute, or if it was a chance meeting on Willow Street.

Detectives already have strong leads in the case, Fitzgerald and Perez said at the press conference.

“Somebody’s going to be in custody very soon,” Perez said.

A strong person of interest was identified by police through physical evidence and interviews with witnesses, Fitzgerald said. He declined to speak further about the person of interest, but did confirm that it is someone that Bridgeport police are familiar with.

He said the department is looking at several suspects, who police believe were all in a small sport utility vehicle during the drive-by shooting.

There is a lot of video evidence, which the department is not releasing at this time, Fitzgerald said. He said detectives also gathered a lot of witness statements and physical evidence.

Loved by all

Howell’s family gathered at the home on Willow Street, to console one another and plan a brief memorial for Wednesday evening.

Wednesday morning, Elaine Wells, Howell’s aunt, stood in the front doorway of the home. Wells, who helped raise Howell and his siblings, said the boy’s mother was too distraught to speak with a reporter.

“He was a great kid; everybody loved him,” Well said, adding that he was a “whiz” when it came to video games.

Howell’s older brother, Gamel Dawkins, set up a GoFundMe to raise funds to cover funeral costs.

“I loved by little brother so much and I didn’t get to say goodbye to him,” Dawkins said on Facebook. “He looked up to me being his older brother and he loved my son so much. I’m just lost right now.”

Howell was a seventh-grader at The Bridge Academy charter school in the city. He had previously attended Hall Elementary down the street.

Neighbors said they already knew Howell couldn’t have been the intended target of Tuesday night’s fatal drive-by shooting.

“It was somebody else. It wasn’t meant for him,” said area resident Chad Dwayne.

“I wish he had just stayed in the house and played Fortnite like he always do(es),” Dawkins said on Facebook, referring to a video game.

Gregory May, another brother of Howell’s, called the shooting “a senseless act of violence” on Facebook.

“My brother wouldn’t bother anybody and loved to laugh and have fun and play Fortnite,” May wrote. “I’m sick to my stomach, numb, confused angry and hurt. He did not deserve to be taken away so soon, but I know God don’t make mistakes. I ask for prayers for my family and especially my mom through this difficult time.”

Bodega trips

Family and friends said Howell would have turned 13 in January.

“He was a baby. A good kid,” said Lorena Mejia, who with her husband owns the La Bodega grocery that Howell frequented on the corner of Willow Street and Barnum Avenue. “He was a regular kid. Liked to ride bikes, mopeds. Smart, sweet. Always snacking.”

Mejia said Howell and a cousin came into the store just before Tuesday’s fatal shooting. She said Howell bought his favorites — a single package of honey buns pastries and a juice.

“He just goes to the store, buys snacks, comes home,” said Dwayne. “You only see him when he goes off to school or the corner store.”

Colin Morgan, who also lives in the area, said no one had any reason to target Howell.

“They gonna shoot him over a video game?” Morgan said.

A young woman who did not wish to be identified, said, “It’s so sad. I seen him walking up and down the street since he was a kid. He’s still just a kid.”

Sophia Holness' mother has lived across the street from Howell since he was born.

Holness, who had stopped by her mother’s house Wednesday, said her mom heard the shots the night before but thought they were fireworks.

“Nothing happens on this street,” Holness said. “I’m shocked. I can’t believe it.”

Mourning a student

The Bridge Academy, a grade 7 to 12 school, was grappling Wednesday with Howell’s sudden death.

Principal Tim Dutton said Superintendent of Schools Aresta Johnson assigned extra counselors “and we are doing our very best to help heal our community.”

Dutton added, “The state Department of Education has reached out several times to make sure we have the support we need.”

Denise Moller, Howell’s first-period teacher, said it may sound cliché but Clinton was a friend to everyone.

“He greeted all of us with a smile and either a high-five, handshake or side hug each morning,” Moller said. “His optimism, good spirits, and love of life were infectious. He often found ways to make even the angriest amongst us smile. Clinton truly inspired all of us to treat each other with respect, kindness, and understanding.”

Jermaine Paige, Howell’s reading teacher, said the boy was very bright and a joy to be around.

“I looked forward to seeing him each and every day and was nothing short of heartbroken when I heard the news of his death,” Paige said. “He was more like a younger sibling or relative than a student to me.”

Howell was also remembered for the years he spent as a student at Hall School by Turnaround Arts, a national nonprofit focused on bringing arts to various schools around the country. Turnaround Arts was involved at Hall and noted on Facebook that Howell participated in a special “young architect” program there.

“We are deeply saddened,” read the Facebook post. “We thank the Hall School staff and Turnaround Arts family for the time you spent pouring into this young man in the hopes that the arts would leave an impact so deep that it would forever influence the man he was to become. ... We will work each day in Clinton’s memory.”

Teachers at Hall, where Clinton attended from kindergarten through sixth grade, said he had near perfect attendance, was a great book buddy and had the combination of bold personality and soft heart that made him unforgettable.

Unintended targets

Tuesday night’s homicide was the second in December and the 11th reported so far in 2018. And the timing and circumstances were also tragically familiar.

On Christmas Eve in 2015, another boy, Luis Colon, 14, was killed by gunfire. Like Howell, Colon was not the intended target.

More recently, on Halloween this year, another innocent bystander was killed by bullets. Myoshi Bagley, a 41-year-old mother of two, was killed when gunfire erupted on the city’s West End. David Belle, 28, of Bridgeport was also killed in that shooting.

Any person with information about this incident is asked to call Detective Cintron at 203-581-5227, or the Bridgeport Police Tips Line at 203-576-TIPS (8477).

Staff writers Tara O’Neill, Daniel Tepfer Jim Shay, Linda Conner Lambeck and Brian Lockhart contributed to this report.