Attorney believes man fatally shot outside Waterbury court was targeted
The attorney who represented a man fatally shot outside the courthouse in Waterbury on Thursday believes his client was targeted when he was gunned down in front of his 2-year-old daughter.
“This was no accident,” Waterbury-based lawyer Ioannis Kaloidis said. “That’s for damn sure.”
Kaloidis said his client — identified by police Friday as 26-year-old Jarron Chapman — had just been granted a continuance during a brief appearance in Waterbury Superior Court a few “moments” before he was shot.
“I shook his hand, said goodbye and said I’ll see you in a few weeks,” Kaloidis said.
Within a minute or two, Kaloidis said judicial marshals rushed into the courtroom and locked the facility down.
Kaloidis later learned that Chapman was shot outside the courthouse with his daughter and a woman, neither of whom was injured.
Officers with the Waterbury Police Department responded to the courthouse, located at 400 Grand St., just after 11:40 a.m. and found a Chapman suffering from gunshot injuries. He was taken to an area hospital where he was later pronounced dead, police said.
According to Kaloidis, the shooter drove up on a motorcycle, got off the bike briefly and shot his client before fleeing the area on the motorcycle.
“Clearly whoever did this planned it,” Kaloidis said. “This was targeted. This wasn’t just a random act. They knew he was going to be there on that date.”
According to Judicial Branch records, Chapman had three cases pending including a violation of probation, a matter involving threatening and assault charges and a third case that included multiple gun and drug charges.
“I have no reason to believe it had anything to do with any of his cases,” Kaloidis said. “There was nothing about his cases that would make you think he would be targeted. He wasn’t testifying against anyone or anything.”
Going forward, Kaloidis also said he has no reservations or safety concerns about returning to the courthouse in Waterbury.
“There’s nothing about this incident that could have been prevented by anyone in the courthouse,” he said. “There were plenty of marshals. Everyone in the building was safe. I don’t think there’s anything else the court staff could have done.”
Kaloidis described Chapman as someone who was always polite and respectful.
“It’s a shame,” he said. “This was a nice young man.
“We were looking forward to building a defense and possibly going to trial,” Kaloidis continued. “We’re really thinking about the family right now and everything they’re going through.”
Waterbury police are still investigating the shooting and have asked anyone with information to contact detectives at 203-574-6941 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 203-755-1234.