Richard Rowell Jr. was just 18 when gunfire cut his life short on a regular Wednesday afternoon. Police in New London got the call about shots fired near 153 Garfield Avenue right around 12:04 p.m. on October 14, 2026. Officers found him inside a vehicle with gunshot wounds.
They rushed him to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital. Doctors there pronounced him dead a short time later. The young man from New London never got the chance to see what came next in his life.
Friends and family now face a quiet that no one saw coming. Eighteen years is not enough time. Dreams stay unfinished. Plans for the future stop cold.
Police say the shooting does not look random. Detectives from the New London Police Department are on the case along with the Connecticut State Police Major Crime Unit and the State’s Attorney’s Office. No one has named a suspect yet. No clear motive has come out either.
The parking lot on Garfield Avenue turned into a crime scene fast. Evidence markers went down around the car. The street closed while investigators worked.
People who knew Richard remember a kid who should still be figuring things out. Instead his family carries a sudden heavy loss. They wait for answers that might help them make sense of it.
Authorities ask anyone with information to step forward. Tips can go to the New London Police Detective Bureau. The investigation stays open as they try to piece together what happened that afternoon.
Leave a Reply