According to the Hartford Courant, Stephen Morgan’s attorney Richard Brown asked for and received a continuance “so that he could have more time to discuss the pros and cons of a probable cause hearing with his client.” The next court date is set for June 9.
It also looks like his bail will remain at $15 million.
Hartford Courant: No Plea Yet In Wesleyan Murder Case
This message just came in from Corrie Kerr in Media Relations:
I wanted to let you know that this page
http://www.wesleyan.edu/newsrel/security/ will always have the latest information.Students should rely on the Connect-ED system to update them as it has.
If they need to update/correct their email addresses or phone numbers for the alert system, they should do so.
I am not sure what this means about the other image that was circulating (possibly the wrong pic?), but the image below contains the new picture being circulated.
Also, live feed of the MPD press conference is available here. The press conference is no longer on the air.
[EDIT – Sheek, 12:50 pm]
It seems that the other picture was a Cornell professor with the same name, totally unrelated to any of this. Apologies to him – Professor Stephen Morgan of Cornell is most definitely not an armed gunman.
Campus Security has a clearer picture of this Stephen Morgan:
UPDATE 3:21pm
From an all-campus e-mail:
This is an update of the emergency notification sent earlier this afternoon. A Wesleyan student was fatally shot at Red and Black Café this afternoon. The name of the student will be released upon notification of her immediate family. A gun was recovered at the scene of the shooting, however the suspect is still at large. Students, faculty and staff are urged to remain indoors while Middletown Police continue to search for suspect(s). All campus events scheduled for today, including Spring Fling, are canceled.
Michael Roth
President
UPDATE 2:49pm The Hartford Courant reports: Student Shot Dead Near Wesleyan:
MIDDLETOWN – A Wesleyan student was shot and killed in a midday shooting at a popular bookstore near the Wesleyan University campus around 1 p.m. today, police sources said.
A witness said someone entered Broad Street Books, at the intersection of Broad and William Street, approached a woman behind the counter and fired multiple shots.
Police are still searching for the gunman, whom they describe as a white male with a thin build. They recovered a gun at the scene, said Middletown Police Lt. Margaret Liseo. Police have cordoned off the area, she said.
All schools in Middletown were locked down as a precaution, Liseo said. A statement from Wesleyan University recommended that students and staff should remain indoors and remain there until further notice.
Police and medical personnel have temporarily closed nearby streets. Officers appeared briefly on the roof of Broad Street Books. Armed officers in fatigues are in the area, and two officers followed a police dog as it ran up William Street, apparently in pursuit of the suspect. Police said the gunman was a white male with a thin build.
The university also canceled the annual “Spring Fling” outdoor party on campus. Hundreds of students had gathered on campus for the event that started at noon today but were ordered to go indoors after the shooting.
I just got a text message from the Wesleyan emergency system that reads:
There has been a shooting near campus. Students, faculty and staff should remain indoors. Check e-mail for additional info.
The first e-mail just came in:
This is Mike Whaley, VP for Student Affairs with a Wesleyan Community Alert.
Middletown Police has notified the University that a shooting occurred just after 1:00pm today in the area of Broad Street Books. The suspect has not yet been identified. Middletown Police have responded to the area. We advise students, faculty and staff to remain indoors until more information is available.
As more information is obtained the community will be notified via e-mail.
Listen to the voice message that went out as an emergency notification here.
I’m off campus, so in addition to these messages, all I’ve heard is that the hill was cleared off.
Feel free to share updates/info in the comments of this post.
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — Police said a woman was shot in a Middletown bookstore on Wednesday afternoon.
The shooting took place at about 1 p.m. in Broad Street Books, Wesleyan University’s bookstore.
The victim said she didn’t know the shooter.
Unfortunately, I don’t spend enough time on campus to know who most of the group members are and would appreciate any help you can provide in identifying them in the comments. (Thanks to the commenters who helped ID everyone!)
The Roadside Girls (in the video, from left to right): Dean Louise Brown, Kari Weil, Sonia Mañjon, Susan Lourie, Gale Lackey, Dean Marina Melendez, Jan Naegele, Suzanne O’Connell, Annie Burke, Sarah Lazare.
If you want to catch the Roadside Girls’ live act, the third and final senior reception for ASTR, BIOL, CHEM, COMP, E&ES, MATH, MECO, MB&B, NS&B, PHYS & PSYC majors is Monday, May 4 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in Woodhead Lounge.
April 6 marks the beginning of National Public Health Week, and HealthCAN, WesPREP, ASHA, and AMSA are collaborating to hold public health-related events to raise awareness.
The purpose and goals of the broader National Public Health Week in which these groups are participating is neatly summed up on the official website:
Despite the dramatic progress achieved through a century of public health advancements — the elimination of polio, fluoridation of drinking water and seatbelt laws — our nation’s health falls far short of its potential. Our progress has stalled, and we have reached a point where we must examine our health system and the foundation upon which it stands.
We have the potential to greatly improve our population’s health in the future. By recommitting ourselves to support our nation’s public health system, we can build on the successes of the past and establish the solid foundation needed for a healthy nation.
National Public Health Week Events at Wesleyan:
Let me start by saying that I think Love Makes a Family is an amazing organization, and feel that for the most part they have made good strategic decisions. One exception I take would be with their initial opposition to the civil unions bill in 2005, and another would be choosing April Fool’s Day as the day to announce that they will disband at year’s end.
As a Connecticut resident who has followed the fight for marriage equality in the state very closely, I am still in disbelief about their announcement–though I am very glad that Love Makes a Family no longer has a reason to exist. After all, we now have full marriage equality in Connecticut. Any two adults in the state who want to get hitched can do it. Mission accomplished.
Daniela Altimari reported on the announcement in the Hartford Courant:
“With GLAD’s victory in the Kerrigan Supreme Court decision and with the knowledge that same-sex couples’ right to marry is secure, we can officially close our doors at the end of the year,” the group’s executive director, Anne Stanback said in a statement. “We want to conclude our work on a high note: celebrating our successes, completing our advocacy work over the next nine months, and sharing our organizational resources with others to further empower the Connecticut community for the future.”
Love Makes a Family has posted a letter to their supporters, and a Q & A about their plans for the next nine months on the organization’s website.
[Thanks to a persistent anonymous commenter for the tip]
Recently on Wesleying: CT Marriage Equality News
Amy Goodman, host of independent, award-winning news program Democracy Now! will speak at Wesleyan’s Memorial Chapel on Sunday, April 4th. Co-authors Amy and David Goodman are on tour promoting their new book, Standing Up to the Madness, which chronicles the struggle of everyday Americans to take politics out of the hands of politicians. The event is a benefit for WESU on its 70th birthday.
Date: Saturday April 4th
Time: 7-9 PM (High Donor Reception will begin at 6 PM)
Place: Wesleyan’s Memorial Chapel
Cost: $5 Students, $10 General Public, $100 High Donors benefiting WESU. High Donors will receive a copy of Standing Up to the Madness and chat with Amy and David before the show. Tickets are available at the Wesleyan Box Office.
Last October, the CT Supreme Court ruled that “the state has failed to provide sufficient justification for excluding same sex couples from the institution of marriage.”
Today, nearly 6 months later, a bill to codify the ruling passed out of the Judiciary Committee by a vote of 30 to 10.
Christine Stuart of CT News Junkie reports:
The bill also removes gender references in state marriage laws and transforms existing same-sex civil unions into marriages as of October 2010. It now has to be approved by the General Assembly.
Most of the debate Monday centered around religious freedom and the ability of a religious organization to deny a same-sex couple the use of its reception hall for a marriage ceremony.
Rep. Bruce Morris, D-Norwalk, who led the debate on an amendment which ultimately failed, said by exempting religious organizations the state of Connecticut could avoid what happened in state’s like New Jersey where a church lost its tax exempt status for denying a same-sex couple the right to marry on church owned property.
[…]Rep. Gary Holder-Winfield, D-New Haven, said Morris’ amendment treated same-sex couples differently than other couples. “What we are doing here today is making sure we are not treating people as other,” Holder-Winfield said. He said Morris’ amendment discriminated against a certain group of people, but Morris argued there are plenty of choices out there.
More info on the bill can be found at the Love Makes a Family website.
Dr. O’Callahan will talk about the kinds of questions you should ask yourself before choosing when, where, and with which organization to volunteer or work abroad. Please bring your supper and join us for this conversation. All are welcome.
Before joining the faculty of the Middlesex Hospital’s Family Practice Program, Dr. O’Callahan spent three years working in a rural region of Guatemala. He continues to work in community-based medicine in Guatemala, training health workers and midwives. He is currently chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Section on International Child Health. Anyone considering the field of public health and/or work in international medicine should find this an inspiring and thought-provoking evening.
Prior to Dr. O’Callahan’s talk, we will be viewing a portion of the PBS documentary, Unnatural Causes, beginning at 6 PM.
Sponsored by the HealthCAN (Health Care Access Now) and MAPS (Minority Association of Pre-medical Students), and the CRC.
Date: March 30th
Time: 6:00 PM
Place: Woodhead Lounge
