A woman was hospitalized after she was allegedly shot by her friend’s stepfather in Norwalk on Tuesday night.
Combined Dispatch received a call from Norwalk Hospital around 11:34 p.m. on Tuesday reporting that a 43-year-old woman entered the emergency department with a gunshot wound to her legs, according to the Norwalk Police Department.
Police said original accounts from witnesses claimed that the woman and a group of friends were walking on Coldspring Street when she was struck by a bullet. However, the initial investigation by patrol officers determined that this version of events was inaccurate after a thorough search of the area resulted in “negative findings,” according to police.
It was later determined the woman was allegedly shot by her friend’s stepfather, identified as 53-year-old Hugo Arturo Avilia-Garcia, at residence on Coldspring Street. Police said Avilia-Garcia then drove the woman to Norwalk Hospital.
A search warrant for the residence was later executed by members of the Norwalk Police Department’s Detective Bureau. According to police, detectives recovered a shell casing but did not locate a firearm.
Avilia-Garcia was taken into custody and charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, first-degree assault and risk of injury to a child. He was held on a $500,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 24.
