Wesleyan Shooting Suspect Identified And At Large

Yesterday afternoon in Middletown, Connecticut, a man walked into a bookstore near Wesleyan University and fatally shot a young woman who worked in the bookstore's cafe. The vicitm, a 20-year-old junior from Colorado named Johanna Justin-Jinich, was hit five times. Police identified the shooter as Stephen Morgan, who is still at large and was apparently disguised during the shooting (see another photo). Police apparently found evidence at the cafe that "heightened" their concern and said, "We just want to get the message out there to be extra vigilant. This individual is armed and dangerous, and we want to be sure public safety is our top priority." Wesleyan told its students to stay in their residences and told staff not to come in to work; the university is in its reading period before exams, so no classes were scheduled. Update: Apparently Justin-Jinich and Morgan knew each other from when they were NYU students in 2007.

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By Jen Chung in News on May 7, 2009 10:19 AM

Comments [rss]

Dirk

I can only hope he experiences a long, torturous death. But being the coward he is, he'll probably shoot himself in the head when the cops close in on him.

Spirit of 76

Is it too difficult to read articles before regaling everyone with your all-important thoughts? They were not boyfriend and girlfriend. From the article:

"Morgan was not a student at Wesleyan. He and the victim, Johanna Justin-Jinich, participated in a six-week summer program at New York University in 2007. Both were residents in student housing but did not stay in the same residence hall, according to NYU spokesman John Beckman.

Toward the end of the program, Justin-Jinich filed a harassment complaint with the Public Safety Department, saying she had been receiving harassing e-mails and phone calls from Morgan, he said."

I think the correct description might be "deranged stalker."

JacqueMehoff

I don't think they were boyfriend/girlfriend.

and he looks way older than 29.

hotstepper

yeah, in the pic above he looks like a bad ass Alan Ginsberg.

Steven

Happens again. Jealous ex bf kills gf.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Johanna-Justin-Jinich/1479360046#/s.php?k=100000080&id=1479360046&sid=e3ccb941f974d1862d14dafe250a408a

pudeljung

Lover's quarrel? I know the media has said he was an ex-boyfriend, but how in hell would this sexypants date a moron like him? He looks like a stamp collector.

Peter

Typical panty piddling paranoia, telling students to remain in this residences and staff to stay away. It's not as if there's a serial killer on the loose and targeting Wesleyan students. The shooting was obviously a lover's quarrel gone bad, and there's minimal risk to anyone else.

America is a nation of cowards. If we were like this in 1941 we'd be speaking Japanese and German today.

Erika

the killer was not an ex lover, it was a stalker who followed her from Colorado to an NYU summer program and now to Wesleyan. He is anti-semitic and is reported to have wanted to go on a shooting spree after killing Johanna, targeting Wesleyan students and the Jewish community. Middletown doesn't have a large Jewish community but Wesleyan does and Middletown's only synagogue is less than a block away from the killing. When they told Wesleyan students to stay inside, it was because the shooter was at large and police had recovered his car so it was assumed he left on foot. Too bad you're ignorant so your comment just made you look like a fool.

Quidnam

It's not a matter of fear per se -- mostly just fear of lawsuits. If I recall correctly, the Virginia Tech shooting rampage appeared at first like a "lovers' quarrel," but didn't end that way. And the university is getting sued because they didn't immediately notify everyone and put the whole campus on lockdown.

nomnomnom

He looks like Stuart Radzinsky from Lost.

Gothamist_Cynic

Really sad story but what does this have to do with NYC?

hotstepper

update: former NYU students. go figure.

nicemarmot

From reading the story, it sounds like he probably lives here. And came back here after blowing away his ex. Can't handle a chick rejecting him so he kills her. It's just too bad he didn't kill himself too.