Four people were taken into custody in connection with a home invasion at a residence in Fairfield early Thursday which shut down multiple schools and triggered a shelter-in-place advisory while a large police presence combed the area in search of the suspects.
Police received a report of an armed robbery and a home invasion on Candlewood Road and responded to the area just before 2:30 a.m., quickly ensuring the victims were safe and taking one suspect into custody, according to the Fairfield Police Department. Police said they then found an additional “person of interest” in Hamden.
In a Facebook post made in the early morning hours, police told residents to shelter in place as they combed the area in search of two additional “subjects” who were believed to possibly be in a home in the area. The investigation drew a large police presence to Candlewood Road and Black Rock Turnpike where investigators conducted an “extensive investigation,” police said.
As a cautionary measure, police said nearby McKinley Elementary School and Fairfield Warde High School were closed for the day. According to a message from school officials, the Early Childhood Center at Warde also did not open. An additional police presence was expected at other schools in the area.
“Student and staff safety remains our highest priority,” school officials wrote on the district website. “Staff assigned to these schools should not report today.”
In an update around 9 a.m., police said “all suspects” believed to be involved in the home invasion were apprehended and in custody. They were not immediately identified, and it was unclear whether they had faced any charges.
“Residents in the immediate area are no longer being asked to shelter in place,” police wrote. “This remains an isolated incident and there is no ongoing threat to public safety.”
Police said they would release additional information “as it becomes available and as the integrity of the investigation allows.” Police in the late morning hours were unsure whether they would hold a news briefing later in the day.