Hamden has had a rough start to 2026.
In a five-day stretch in mid-January, the town saw multiple shootings — including the killing of 18-year-old Keyvon Washington, who was ambushed in his car on Mix Avenue on January 17. Days later, suspects fired into an occupied home on Bowen Street, wounding a boy in his legs. Surveillance footage captured four people approaching the house with long guns.
Mayor Adam Sendroff and Police Chief Edward Page Reynolds issued a joint statement on January 23 condemning the violence and pledging that investigators would "relentlessly" pursue those responsible. They announced a meeting with school officials, nonprofits, and community organizations to discuss intervention strategies.
Since then, public updates have been scarce.
Unrelated Trouble at Police HQ
The department is also dealing with internal problems that have nothing to do with the shootings. Deputy Chief Kevin Samperi was placed on paid administrative leave in early February amid a harassment investigation — escorted from headquarters after surrendering his gun, badge, and vehicle. Police Commission Chairman Vaughn Willis has said Samperi's suspension is unrelated to a separate ethics probe that found a records clerk had an inappropriate relationship with the deputy chief. That clerk is no longer employed by the town.
Commissioner Chris Acosta has been the most vocal critic, arguing publicly that the commission failed to act on what he calls corruption and favoritism. The records division — already short-staffed — has a backlog of more than 120 document requests.
Meanwhile, Basketball
While the police department sorts through its problems, life in Hamden continues. On Sunday, February 16, girls basketball coach Amanda Forcucci earned her 300th career victory in a win over Foran High School in Milford. The Hamden Fire Department posted a public congratulations.
The milestone spans Forcucci's entire coaching career — she served as head coach at both Hopkins School in New Haven and Lauralton Hall in Milford, where she won a state championship in 2014, before taking over at Hamden High in 2017. She led the Green Dragons to an undefeated 26-0 season and the school's first-ever state title in 2023.
It would be easy to frame the basketball program as some kind of antidote to the town's troubles. That's not quite right. Forcucci's 300th win doesn't answer questions about what's happening inside the police department, and a road game in Milford isn't a symbolic counterweight to gun violence on Bowen Street.
But 300 wins over a career is worth noting on its own terms — no manufactured narrative required.