January 24 / 6:00 pm

Officer Killed; Reward Offered as Search for Gunmen Continues
(East Hartford-WTNH) _ Police from East Hartford and across the state are searching for two men who shot and killed a police officer Saturday night. Governor John Rowland has authorized a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the killers.

Police say 25 year old Brian Aselton of Tolland was responding to a routine call at Car Quest Auto Parts on Main Street when he was shot about 9:15 pm. He died of a gunshot wound to the head. Police say they are looking for two men between 20 and 30 years old in connection with the shooting. At least one of the men is believed to be Hispanic. East Hartford Police Chief James Shay considers the suspects armed and dangerous.

More than 200 officers from across the state spent the day searching for the killers. Authorities had hoped to use a helicopter in the search, but poor weather hampered that effort. Main Street in East Hartford was has closed for much of the day during their investigation. Early on police believed the suspects were still in the area, but they may have gotten away before all the roadblocks were set up.

Authorities say another individual, 57 year old Gregorio Velez, was found injured in the building where the shooting occurred. He is in the hospital with "significant" but unspecified injuries. Police believe Velez was in an altercation with the killers, but did not go into detail.

East Hartford police are asking anyone who may have seen or heard anything to call them at 860.528.4401, or State Police at 1.800.842.0200. Authorities believe there is information out there that may help them catch the killers. Chief State's Attorney John Bailey says anyone who helps the killers will face felony charges.

The Connecticut Council of Police Unions also offered a $10,000 reward. Some town residents paid their respects by leaving flowers at the East Hartford police station.

Family Mourns Murdered Officer
(Glastonbury-WTNH) _ Officer Brian Aselton grew up in South Windsor. He's a former US Marine who at age 24 decided to serve and protect the city of East Hartford. In his immediate family he leaves behind a twin sister, an older brother, along with his mother and father.
News Channel 8's Jocelyn Sigue talked with officer Aselton's father.

Aselton Latest Law Enforcement Officer to Die in Line of Duty
(WTNH) _ Brian Aselton had been a member of the East Hartford police force for about 2 years. Chief State's Attorney John Bailey said Aselton was the first Connecticut officer killed in the line of duty since a Waterbury officer was murdered several years ago. Officer Walter Williams was killed in December of 1992 when he stopped to question a man. Richard Reynolds of New York was convicted of William's murder in 1994.

In June of 1991, Connecticut state trooper Russell Bagshaw was shot and killed while on duty while investigating a robbery in progress at a sporting goods store. Two brothers, Terry and Duane Johnson, were convicted of his murder. Terry Johnson is now sitting on death row.

And last year, DEP enforcement officer James Spignesi was shot and killed in Scotland, Connecticut. Spignesi was patrolling a field looking in November for illegal deer hunters. 28 year old Kevin O'Connell of Thompson, a corrections officer, is facing manslaughter charges in that case.

Shooting Investigated
(New Haven-WTNH) _ New Haven police are saying little about a shooting on Dixwell Avenue that left one person dead. The shooting happened at the Dixwell Avenue Deli. Neighbors tell News Channel 8 gunmen burst into the business and opened fire, killing at least one person and wounding another. Names of the victims are not available.

FBI Joins Investigation of Boy's Murder
(Bridgeport-AP) _ The FBI has joined the investigation into the murders of an 8-year-old murder witness and his mother. Police Captain David Boston says FBI agents are part of a special task force set up to help solve the slayings of Leroy Brown Junior and his mother, Karen Clarke. Bridgeport detectives have questioned Adrian Peeler for several days at a jail in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he has been held since his arrest Thursday on a fugitive from justice warrant. Boston said it may be a few days before the detectives return to Connecticut with Peeler. The 22 year old Peeler and his 27 year old brother, Russell Peeler Junior, are at the top of investigators' list of possible suspects in the January 7th slayings. Leroy was to be a key witness in a pending murder trial of Russell Peeler, who is charged with the shooting death of Clarke's boyfriend.

Meanwhile, police have set up a confidential hotline looking for help finding the killer. Anyone with information about the slaying of Leroy Brown Junior and Karen Clarke are being asked to call 1.800.791.9996.

Lewinsky Meets With House Managers
(Capitol Hill-AP) _ Monica Lewinsky has been spending the afternoon talking with House impeachment managers. Before meeting with Lewinsky at a Washington DC hotel, the prosecutors said they wanted to ask substantive questions about her relationship with President Clinton.

Three Republican senators say they want a swift end to President Clinton's impeachment case. And two of them are expressing hope for a conclusion this week. Republican senators Olympia Snowe of Maine, Slade Gorton of Washington and Richard Shelby of Alabama are seeking a fast conclusion to the trial. Snowe even predicted that there could be "a conclusion by the end of this week" with a "chance to vote up or down on the articles of impeachment." Gorton also said he hoped a solution could be found this week, and said both parties should agree on a final vote and "get to it ... promptly." Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, meanwhile, says he'll go ahead with a plan to submit written questions to President Clinton. That's even though White House lawyers _ who first suggested the questions _ now say the attorneys would respond rather than the president himself.
Here's more on today's developments.

Municipalities Cite Privacy Concerns in Fight Against State Request for Resident Information
(AP) _ Local officials across Connecticut are fighting a state request to supply residents' Social Security numbers for jury lists, saying to do so would violate their constituents' privacy. Officials in every city and town received a letter in December from Richard Gayer, the jury administrator of the state judiciary, asking for their lists of registered voters. That information, requested annually, is used by the jury administrator to compile a list of potential jurors for the state's courts. The deadline to submit the lists is February 1st. Gayer said, as of Friday, 50 municipalities had submitted the lists but many had withheld the Social Security numbers. State officials contend the numbers ensure that names are not duplicated on juror lists, which also pull names from state departments of revenue, motor vehicle and labor registries. Local officials argue that Social Security numbers are the keys that unlock vast amounts of other, personal information -- so they should not be given out without the individual's permission.

Economists Predict Slowing State Economy
(AP) _ Economists predict a slowdown in the state's economic growth, and blame it on the financial troubles in Asia. They say Connecticut's economy will continue to grow this year, but they don't expect a repeat of last year's turbo-charged performance. As measured by job growth, housing development, personal income and other indicators, 1998 was good to Connecticut. Official growth numbers have yet to surface, but economists predict 1998's real gross state product - the tally of all goods and services produced in the state, adjusted for inflation - will have risen between two and four percent over 1997. Another gauge of state growth, the People's Bank Business Barometer, shows a 2.8% rise for 1998, adjusted for inflation.
 

State Sex Offender Website Online (Hartford-WTNH) _ The State of Connecticut's Sex Offender Registry went online at the first of the year. Residents can look to see if a convicted sex offender is living in their neighborhood by accessing the information through the Department of Public Safety's website at www.state.ct.us/dps/

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