Gay couple beaten in violent attack outside LGBTQ+ bar in Connecticut
The owners of a gay bar in Connecticut were beaten outside their venue by a man who is also said to have assaulted them with homophobic slurs.
Content warning: This story includes topics that could make some readers uncomfortable. Casey Fitzpatrick and Nicholas Ruiz, who co-own Troupe429 in Norwalk, Connecticut, described the incident as a “hate crime” – something authorities have disputed. “On the evening of Friday, September 23, 2022, Nicholas and I were violently attacked in front of our bar in what we believe was a hate crime,” Fitzpatrick wrote in a lengthy statement on the bar’s website. “Unfortunately, we now believe that the violent assault is being mishandled by the Norwalk Police Department and the City of Norwalk.
As of October 11, nearly two and a half weeks after the assault, no charges have been filed, nor has the suspect been arrested.” Ruiz was left in need of over 50 stitches and $20,000 worth of plastic surgery because of what happened.
However, on 12 October, the Norwalk Police Department stated that they had arrested Carmen Everett Parisi in relation to the incident – though there is currently no evidence of an anti-LGBTQ+ motivation for what happened, NBC reported.
