Broad Daylight Attack In Vets Park Under Investigation: Police

STAMFORD, CT — Stamford Police have arrested two people they say are connected to a broad daylight attack at Veterans Park last Friday, which left one victim beaten and stabbed. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to apprehend the remaining parties involved.

At around 3:45 p.m. on June 4, according to police, about six or seven individuals attacked a 30-year-old man who was at Veterans Park in downtown Stamford. One of the individuals stabbed the man twice in the torso.

"Our dispatch phones lit up because a number of people called in," said Capt. Richard Conklin of the SPD.

The victim, a Stamford resident, was eventually taken to Stamford Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. As of Monday, the man remained in stable condition at the hospital, and he's expected to survive.

Video surveillance was reviewed, Conklin said. On Monday morning, police announced the arrest of 33-year-old Daniel Flores, of Stamford. He was charged with breach of peace, second-degree assault, and possession of marijuana. His bond was set at $15,000.

Devante Derisher, 25, also of Stamford, was taken into custody as well, and charged with third-degree assault. His bond was set at $150.

A motive for the attack is unclear at the moment, but Conklin said there appears to have been an ongoing disagreement between the parties.

"We're hearing different versions of that, so we're trying to sort that out. There's some prior disagreement that had festered," Conklin said.

Conklin added that the incident is "very troubling."

"This is downtown in Veterans Park on a nice afternoon when there are a lot of people enjoying that park," Conklin said, commending investigators for their work so far.

"Investigators and patrol did a good job bringing this up to speed very quickly. We're still pulling security videos which captured this incident and trying to identify other parties involved in this assault, and the party responsible for the stabbing," he said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Stamford Police Detective Bureau at 203-977-4417.