'Keep the family in your prayers.' Stamford community mourns 4-year-old boy killed in 10-story fall
Stamford police say the young boy was with one of his parents and another family member visiting his grandmother who lives on the 10th floor.
The Stamford community is grieving the death of a 4-year-old boy who fell from a 10th floor window of the Prospect Park apartments Sunday night.
Candles and flowers lay at the base of the apartment complex on Prospect Street.
"This is just a devastating event that's happened in a pretty quiet part of downtown Stamford," says Gillian Minnerly, who lives on the sixth floor. "The whole community, and our building, is grieving right now and trying to be as supportive as we can to the family."
Stamford police say the young boy was with one of his parents and another family member visiting his grandmother who lives on the 10th floor.
Sgt. Sean Boeger says around 7:30 p.m., the 4-year-old went through a screen on an open window and fell to the ground.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
"This was a very young child who was innocent and was probably just playing," Boeger says, "and got himself into a predicament where it was dangerous and he didn't realize it."
Boeger says as far as he knows, the city doesn't have a rule requiring safety bars on windows of high-rise apartments.
"We have numerous high-rise buildings within the city of Stamford that do not have bars on windows like this," Boeger says. "Unlike New York City that has that specific type of law, I do not believe we have that regulation here in Stamford in our building code."
The apartment complex declined to comment. Police say they don't suspect any foul play.
Meantime, Minnerly says this isn't a time to judge or point fingers, but a time for the community to come together and support a grieving family.
"This really could have happened to anyone," Minnerly says. "You lose sight of a child for even 10 seconds, and they can go exploring where they shouldn't be. I would say keep the family in your prayers and just send prayers to the family."
Stamford police have not yet released the boy's identity.
The Stamford Police Behavioral Health Unit is providing grief support for the family.
