Police: Guns stolen from cars parked at Trumbull mall and outside home

TRUMBULL — After two recent incidents in which guns were stolen from parked cars at the Westfield Trumbull Mall and a home's driveway, local police are reminding residents to lockup their firearms. Police did not say exactly when each theft occurred, but said the first incident involved a 9 mm Glock handgun that was taken from a vehicle parked near the LA Fitness at the mall. The car had been left in the lot for a "short period of time" in the afternoon, Trumbull police said in a news release that was posted to the department's Facebook page. "When the victim returned to their vehicle, they noticed several items missing, to include a Glock 9mm handgun. The vehicle was reported to have been locked with the firearm being stored inside of the locked glove box," the news release said. The second theft was reported a short time later during the evening hours. In that incident, police said, the vehicle was parked in a residential driveway on White Plains Road. "This victim reported that upon returning to their vehicle, they noticed that the trunk was ajar, and their Sampiyon/Panzer shotgun was missing from the trunk of this vehicle," police said. Under state law, gun owners are required to store their firearms in a locked safe, locked trunk, or locked glove box if leaving them inside their car. A state law also provides penalties for gun owners who store firearms in such a way that a minor could get to it. The 2019 law is known as Ethan's Law, after a Guilford teen who was killed while handling a handgun at a neighbor's home. Gun owners are also required to tell police if any of their firearms are lost or stolen. "The Trumbull Police Department emphasizes the necessity of securely stored firearms to prevent them from ending up in the wrong hands," Trumbull police said in the news release. "All aspects of gun safety are extremely important, but when it comes to accessibility firearms must always be properly locked away and inaccessible to others, especially children."

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