Suspect in Toor Murder Arrested and Charged
Branford Police identified the suspect in the homicide that occurred this morning at 255 Blueberry Lane as Lishan Wang, 44, with a last known address of Marietta, Ga. Wang is a Chinese citizen from Beijing.—Nicole Ball, with reporting from The Associated Press.
Wang was taken into custody for the homicide of Vajinder Pal Toor, 34.
Toor, a medical doctor, was working as a first-year postdoctoral fellow in infectious diseases at the Yale University School of Medicine, however, Branford police report there is no connection between the assailant and the victim that relates to the victim's employment at Yale.
Chief John DeCarlo said, "Our agency is looking at a number of motives for this homicide. One is the possibility that Dr. Toor and Lishan Wang had a previous working relationship at a hospital in New York. We are unsure of the extent of their interactions at this time."
Toor worked at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in New York before joining Yale.
A hospital employee told The Associated Press that Wang and Toor were involved in a confrontation a few years ago at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center after Wang left his post at the intensive care unit and was not reachable for a few hours. The employee said Toor reprimanded him and that Wang threatened Toor in front of other employees.
The employee spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing murder investigation.
Wang is being charged with murder, criminal attempt to commit murder, weapons in a motor vehicle, carrying a handgun without a permit, unlawful discharge of a firearm. Wang is being held on a $2 million bond.
Just before 8 a.m. this morning, Toor, of the Meadows Condominiums, was fatally shot in the parking lot near the rear of his residence.
He was pronounced dead at the scene by Branford Fire Department paramedics.
Upon arrival to the condominiums, Branford police were give information about a possible suspect from citizens at the scene. Their detailed information led police to a vehicle that fled the scene, which was stopped about a mile away and close to the entrance ramps of Interstate 95.
Police reported that evidence in plain view within the vehicle preliminarily linked Wang to the shooting.
Detective Lt. William Carroll, who is heading the investigation, said "Our detectives will be working closely with members of the Connecticut State Police Major Crime to piece this homicide together."
Into the afternoon, with a slight drizzle of rain overhead, investigators from both Major Crime and Branford Police Department were still on the scene investigating and collecting evidence.
During the investigation it was also determined that the victim's pregnant wife had also been shot at, however was unharmed.
The Associated Press reports, that Hersh Arora, a neighbor and family friend, said Toor's wife, Parneeta, had just waved goodbye to her husband and closed the door when she heard gunshots and ran outside. She saw her husband lying on the ground, saw a man with a gun, and asked what he was doing.
When Wang started firing at her, Arora reported that she hid behind a car. A neighbor tried to perform CPR on Toor, Arora said.
The couple have a 3-year-old-son, and Parneeta is five months pregnant, according to Arora.