A Danbury father-to-be was fatally shot in his townhouse Wednesday night after a bullet from a neighboring unit came through the wall, police said.
The victim was identified as 37-year-old Victor Quispe, of Danbury. Quispe was a local barber whose wife is pregnant with their first child.
The staff at Legends Barber Company, where Quispe worked, called his death devastating. The owner didn't want to go on camera but told News 12 Quispe was family, a one-of-a-kind guy who everyone thought was special.
Quispe lived at 43 Lake Ave.—one of two buildings of townhouses that make up Lake Avenue Commons. The homeowner's association president told News 12 there are only six units, so everyone knows each and understandably, is in disbelief. On Thursday morning, a piece of police tape remained outside—the only remnants of the prior night's chaos and horror.
James Pope, who lives next to the complex, said he was watching TV when he heard siren after siren that appeared to stop right outside his house.
"I looked out, and there were basically cops and emergency vehicles on both sides of the street from here all the way up the hill," Pope recalled.
He said he assumed there was a crash at the nearby intersection, which isn't uncommon. But then he went outside and spoke to others.
"They said a pregnant wife came home, found her husband in a bloody mess, and so, she then called the cops," Pope said.
Officers responded at 8:37 p.m. for a report of a shooting, according to police. They said a gun was discharged inside one of the townhouses with a single round traveling through a wall and striking Quispe in the unit next door.
He was rushed to the hospital but didn't survive, police said.
Police are now working to track down the person responsible. They said Quispe's neighbor had already taken off when officer got on scene. Police have not released that man's name or any information about whether the gun went off intentionally or accidentally. They called the shooting an isolated incident and said there is no threat to the community.