CT convicted felon facing assault, weapons charges after shooting in Meriden

A convicted felon from Meriden is facing assault and weapons charges in connection with an October shooting, police said.

James Shea was charged with first-degree assault, first-degree criminal attempt to commit assault, criminal possession of a firearm and carrying a pistol without a permit following a shooting in the area of Randolph Avenue and West Main Street on Oct. 15, according to the Meriden Police Department.  As officers responded to the area for the report of shots fired, they located a male victim with a gunshot wound to his neck, police said.

Patrol officers provided basic medical care until EMS arrived, and the victim was transported to Hartford Hospital, according to police.

Police learned that the victim and another male were on the porch of a home when they were shot at. However, the victim was not the intended target of the
shooting, police said.

The Meriden Police Department’s Detective Division was called to the scene to help with the investigation, according to police.

After a thorough investigation by Meriden Det. Dan McKenna, an arrest warrant was obtained for Shea through the State’s Attorney’s office in New Haven.

Shea was taken into custody without incident on Wednesday on Chestnut Street in New Britain with the assistance of the New Britain Police Department, police said. He was currently being held on a court-set $750,000 bond.