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Newtown, CT, USA
Newtown, CT, USA
Newtown, CT, USA
Newtown, CT, USA
News

Resident Facing Multiple Charges Following Shooting, Christmas Eve Standoff

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NOTE: This story contains updates to a story first published on Monday, December 25.

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A 32-year-old Newtown resident was arrested early Christmas morning after allegedly shooting one person and then barricading herself inside a Boggs Hill Road residence for five hours. She faces seven charges, five of them felonies.

Meghan E. Gouveia was arrested early Monday morning and charged with Assault-1st Degree, a Class B felony; Risk of Injury to a Minor, 2 counts, Class C felony charges; Criminal Use of a Firearm, a Class D felony; Negligent Storage of a Firearm, a Class D felony; Reckless Endangerment-1st Degree, a Class A misdemeanor; and Illegal Discharge of a Firearm, a Class C misdemeanor.

She was held on a $1.5 million bond.

According to a release issued by Newtown Police Department, the incident began around 7:49 pm Sunday, December 24, when local police responded to the Boggs Hill Road residence for a reported dispute. According to a December 24 Facebook post by the local PD, the private residence is in the area of Willowbrook Road and Bentagrass Lane.

“The situation is contained to a single residence and Newtown Police are on scene with assistance from local partners,” the post also noted.

Upon arrival, the caller was located on the front porch of the residence with multiple gunshot wounds.

Officers were able to pull the victim, an adult male, to safety as Gouveia retreated into the residence. The victim was transported by Newtown Ambulance to Danbury Hospital due to injuries sustained during the incident. The victim remains in stable condition as of December 27, according to Newtown Police.

Boggs Hill Road was closed in the area of the incident until it was resolved.

Multiple surrounding agencies and the Western Connecticut Regional Emergency Services Unit were called to assist as Gouveia remained barricaded inside the residence.

Shortly before 1 am Monday, December 25, Gouveia peacefully exited the residence and was arrested.

Newtown PD Lieutenant Scott Smith said Newtown officers “acted selflessly and put themselves in harm’s way to pull the victim to safety.

“Additionally, our department is grateful to the surrounding police departments who responded to this incident and assisted in its peaceful conclusion,” Smith added.

In an update to the original Facebook post, Newtown Police Chief David Kullgren also offered his thanks to the “mutual aid partners who responded to assist our community.”

Additional details were released on Wednesday by Newtown PD, who said there were two children present at the time of Sunday’s incident.

“The children were not physically injured, and the Department of Children and Families was contacted and responded to assist,” the Wednesday afternoon release stated. “The children are healthy and safe in the care of family members.”

The local PD also discounted social media posts allegedly made by Gouveia during Sunday’s incident.

The posts, NPD said via its December 27 release, “caused concern to some members of the community.

“There is no credibility to any allegations made against any people or businesses in town, and there are no active criminal investigations into any of these allegations,” the release stated. There will be no further comment on that matter, the statement concluded.

Gouveia had her first appearance in court on Tuesday. Her bond was reduced to $500,000. Her next court date is scheduled for January 11.

A 32-year-old Newtown resident faces seven charges after reportedly shooting an adult male and then barricading herself inside her home for five hours Christmas Eve and early Christmas morning.
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3 comments
  1. tomj says:

    It is a very sad story and my heart goes out to the kids, I am sure that was a difficult thing to experience. Kudos to the Police force, it is not hard to imagine a circumstance where the outcome would have been very different. Impressive restraint.

  2. qstorm says:

    Police these days cannot act for fear of losing their jobs and freedom. Simply wait for nature to take its course.

  3. dc says:

    I have been here in town for many years. And I am aware of several instances where Newtown PD has been amazingly effective in de-escalating situations to a more favorable outcome, where without that skill and commitment they may have resulted in different and likely tragic outcomes. And there are probably more instances that I am not aware of, because they don’t make the news, and they don’t have to. The Newtown PD does act, appropriately. Thank you Newtown PD for all you do.

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