Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Stamford shooting video shows man opening fire on crowd outside nightclub – from perspective of one of his terrified targets

Police released the extraordinary footage in appeal for witnesses

Adam Withnall
Tuesday 15 July 2014 14:00 EDT
Comments
Video footage released by police shows the terrifying moment a man opens fire on a crowd outside a US nightclub
Video footage released by police shows the terrifying moment a man opens fire on a crowd outside a US nightclub (Stamford Police/YouTube)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Police in the US have released chilling footage of the moment a man opened fire on a crowd outside a busy nightclub, wounding five people and sending hundreds fleeing in fear.

The video was captured on a mobile phone by a witness standing just a few feet away from the gunman, and has been described as a “great piece of evidence” by the force in Stamford, Connecticut.

It shows a man in a red t-shirt and baseball cap lifting a handgun fitted with a red laser sight and firing repeatedly, as people in the background scream and run for their lives.

One man is already on the ground as the clip begins, and another – wearing a stripy blue shirt – is hit as he tries to back away.

Police said they had released the footage in an appeal for witnesses to come forward, and stressed that though the footage was “graphic and not suitable for children”, no one who features was killed in the shooting at around 1.30am on Sunday.

It began, officers told the Stamford Advocate, with an argument over a woman. The shooter reportedly drew his gun – for which he had received a licence just three days earlier – after he was hit in the face during the altercation.

All five victims of the shooting were treated at Stamford Hospital for non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, and police said they believed none of them were actually involved in the original altercation itself.

One, Domingo Ramos, told reporters he and his friend had been “nearly 300 feet” – the length of a football pitch – away and leaving a different nightclub when a stray bullet passed through his left forearm.

In all, 10 shots were fired in the incident and a gun with a single remaining bullet in the chamber was recovered by Stamford Police officers, who had heard the gunfire and were quickly on the scene.

They arrested 22-year-old Dayron Wills, who appeared in court on Monday afternoon charged with five counts of first-degree assault, as well as first-degree reckless endangerment, unlawful discharge of a firearm and possession of marijuana. Bail was set at $1 million (£580,000).

Speaking about the extraordinary footage of the incident, which was later shared via social media, Stamford Police Lieutenant Diedrich Hohn said the witness had started filming when he saw people fighting outside Tino’s Nightclub, a newly-opened venue.

“He pulled out his phone to document the fight, and the fight turned into gunfire,” Hohn said.

He added: “We don't recommend people doing this – although it turned into a great piece of evidence.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in