Town to enforce curfew after teen death

MERIDEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- The stabbing death of a Meriden teen is having city-wide consequences. Now a plan is in place to strictly enforce a curfew already on the books.

"My nephew was good 15-year-old kid, he loved his mom, loved his brothers, loved his sisters," the victim's aunt said.

Speaking of a child in the past tense sparks this kind of reaction; 15-year-old Deandre Felton was killed almost two weeks ago after he and a 13-year-old friend were stabbed around 9:30 at night.

"To see the stab wounds, to know where they are located, says, this fellow was out for blood, he was out to kill," said Rev. Dante Moss, of Meriden.

In grief, there is discussion. A talk about responsibility; responsibility of a city, responsibilities of families and a community to make sure something like this does not happen again, and that is where the topic of a curfew comes in.

Meriden's police force will begin enforcing a 9 p.m. curfew, a law that was passed in 1963, but mostly forgotten. It could carry a $90 fine.

"It trickles right to the homes, it's gotta start there with the parents, look out for our children," said Eddie Siebert, Meriden Mayor's Office.

"It's one of those things can it truly be enforced with what police have to do anyway? How do you enforce this law," questioned News 8's Jamie Muro.

"It's getting into kids heads, parents, maybe parents need to enforce it," replied Siebert.

"The curfew is never going to be an answer. The curfew is a way out for the city, to say that it is uh, the children are responsible, if he wasn't outdoors he wouldn't got killed," said Rev. Moss. "History shows the world that's not accurate."

Answers are never easy, even when people have time to look back and reflect as a young man, a child, embarks on his final ride.

"Really all we want is justice, for him, he was a good kid."

The 13-year-old remains hospitalized.