Shooting Victim Plans To Sue New London Over High-Rise Security

A 30-year-old man injured in a summer shooting incident has filed an intent to sue the city of New London, saying it has not provided proper security at the Thames River Apartments.

Ramel General submitted the letter of intent through Jonathan Perkins Injury Lawyers. He says his injuries were a result of "negligence/nuisance/wilful conduct of the relevant municipal employers."

General suffered gunshot wounds that were not considered life-threatening on July 2. Deputy Chief Peter Reichard of the New London Police Department formerly said officers responded to a report of a shooting victim at 57 Ocean Ave. at 3:38 a.m. Family members took General to Lawrence & Memorial Hospital before medics arrived.

Reichard said there have been no new developments in the case but that it remains open and under investigation.

In the letter of intent, General says he was shot in his left leg, foot, and chest while going to the high-rise apartments at 40 Crystal Ave. to visit his aunt. The letter describes the apartment complex as a "gated community" since it is locked and gated, and says municipal employers failed "to properly secure the complex."

The Thames River Apartments are a public housing complex operated by the New London Housing Authority. The agency is facing similar charges in an ongoing class-action lawsuit filed by residents of the apartments in 2006. This suit charges a number of unsanitary and unsafe living conditions, including the failure to "create and maintain a New London Housing Authority Police Force to provide adequate policing of the premises."

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