Shots fired at a car on Interstate 95 resulted in the death of one passenger and the wounding of another, along with the driver, who left the highway Wednesday morning and approached a police officer on Noroton Avenue.
State police identified the deceased man as Earl Gayle, 31; Rashawn McCalla, 28, who was treated in Stamford Hospital; and the driver, Jovel McKenzie, 29, who received only a superficial wound and declined to be treated.
At about 3:42 a.m., McKenzie left the highway at Exit 10, southbound, turned south onto Noroton Avenue and drove slowly down the street. A Darien police sergeant near the intersection of Noroton Avenue and Maple Street saw the car, which approached him. McKenzie then told the officer what had happened and Darien police started giving first aid to the car’s occupants before Darien EMS-Post 53 arrived.
State police said they were told the car McKenzie was driving, a 2013 Infiniti G36 with New York license plates, was fired on by someone in a vehicle that had pulled up next to it as both vehicles were southbound. State police said McKenzie had driven from Bridgeport.
Since the crime reportedly occurred only on the highway, Darien police notified state police, who took over the investigation. The southbound traffic side of the highway from Exit 18 in Westport to Exit 16 in Norwalk was shut down early Wednesday then reopened in the afternoon.
State police found 10 shell casings south of the Exit 16 on-ramp, according to the Darien Daily Voice.
Darien police secured the area where the car was parked, and state police examined it for evidence. State police said they found “numerous” pieces of evidence.
The state police Western District Major Crimes Squad is continuing to investigate and is asking that anyone with information about the crime or dashcam video of it to contact them at 203-696-2500.
“This is believed to be an isolated incident and there is no threat to the public at this time,” state police said in a news release.