New Haven homicide victim connections

RICH SCINTO - NEW HAVEN REGISTER Mourners take part
 in a vigil Friday night in New Haven
 following the slaying of a city teenager Thursday night. 

There have been a couple of connections this year between homicide victims.

That in itself isn't too odd, as studies have shown one is more likely to become a victim of a homicide if he/she knows other homicide victims. The fewer degrees of separation, the higher the chance of becoming a victim.

New Haven is also a small city where many residents are multi-generational New Haveners. Some say that everybody knows everybody in the city one way or another and it's far often less than five degrees of separation.

Here are some of the connections between some of the homicides this year. There have been no arrests so far in any of the mentioned cases:

-Torrence Gamble attended the funeral for homicide victim Taijhon Washington on Wednesday, April 2. Gamble attended Riverside Academy; he and around 20 others from the school attended Washington's funeral, according to the New Haven Independent. Gamble seeked help the day prior to getting shot through Street Outreach Worker Doug Bethea.

-Durell Patrick Law's son is the nephew of Taijhon Washington.

-Going back, Washington is related to homicide victims Dallas Boomer and Thomas “TJ” Mozell.

Connections to those doing the good work

It's been bizarre that many of the 2014 homicide victims are closely related to several people in the community who are working hard to prevent violence.

-Law is related through marriage to Pastor Troy McNulty, who frequently goes to homicide, shooting and other violent crime scenes to offer support and love to the victim's family.

-Gamble is the nephew of Nakia Dawson, who founded the Bereavement Care Network to help support families after they lose a loved one, particularly to gun violence.

-Kyle Brown-Edwards is a cousin of Officer Jillian Knox, victim services coordinator for the New Haven Police Department. Edwards lost his brother to a murder in 1999.