Bridgeport woman fatally stabbed at rooming house during escalating dispute, police say
When police arrived, they found Willesha Riddick bleeding and unresponsive in front of the door. She was rushed to the hospital but didn't survive.
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Bridgeport police said a local woman has died after being stabbed multiple times at the rooming house where she lived. Willesha Riddick, 41, became the city's third homicide of the year, according to police.
It happened in the 300 block of Park Avenue between Atlantic Street and Gregory Street by the University of Bridgeport's campus. Officers were dispatched there after midnight Tuesday, "on a report of an altercation taking place and somebody possibly having a knife," said Detective Jeffrey Holtz.
When police arrived, they found Riddick bleeding and unresponsive in front of the door. She was rushed to the hospital but didn't survive.
"In the hours preceding this, there were multiple reports regarding some type of disturbance at that address," Holtz told News 12. "It appears that this kind of ongoing incident that was taking place for a while escalated, and it resulted in the stabbing death of Miss Riddick."
The investigation found that earlier in the night, another woman who lives at the rooming house went to the hospital with a minor stab wound and was treated and released, according to Holtz, who declined to comment further on that injury.
"It was a tumultuous kind of situation," said Holtz.
Neighbor Edgardo Pratts said his wife heard a big argument outside Monday night, but when he looked, he didn't see much.
"Then, when I went to bed, I heard a commotion again, so I ran outside. I saw four people arguing on the porch," Pratts recalled.
What happened next was likely captured on camera. Signs on the property state that the rooming house is under video surveillance.
"We do have video. We're not going to comment on what's on that video obviously because it's evidence," Holtz said.
He told News 12 that police interviewed people throughout the overnight hours and have recovered the weapon. Holtz also said a check of that address didn't find a history of problems.
People who knew the victim stopped by the scene Tuesday morning and were overcome with emotion.
"It's really disturbing that society's going down," said Pratts.
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Homicide Detective Elizabeth Santora at 203-581-5291.
