A 51-year-old man died after he ran into a Pratt Street smoke shop seeking help following a stabbing near the Meriden Green on Friday night. Marcus Mitchell was rushed to a hospital after staff and bystanders at the shop stepped in to help him, but he did not survive his injuries.
Meriden police received calls around 6:50 p.m. reporting an injured person looking for help at the Green on the Green Smoke Shop at 29 Pratt Street, according to WFSB. Officers determined that the stabbing itself did not happen inside the business, but instead is believed to have occurred on or near the Meriden Green, just outside. Mitchell was identified by police as the victim, per the station's report.
Bystanders Rushed to Help Before Ambulance Arrived
Staff and bystanders at the smoke shop provided aid to Mitchell before paramedics arrived and transported him to a hospital, according to NBC Connecticut. He later died from his injuries at the hospital, the outlet reported. The Hartford Courant reported that Mitchell ran into the smoke shop for assistance after being stabbed, and that police later pronounced him dead at the hospital.
Meriden police said they have taken a person of interest into custody, though on charges unrelated to the stabbing, per the same account from WFSB. Police have offered condolences to Mitchell's family and friends and said they will continue investigating the incident diligently.
No Ongoing Threat, Police Say
Officers said there is no ongoing threat to the community tied to the stabbing, according to WTNH. Anyone with information about the stabbing is asked to contact Detective Case at 203-630-6296 or [email protected], the station noted.
The homicide investigation comes roughly a year after another violent stabbing rattled Meriden's bar scene. In August 2025, a stabbing broke out amid multiple altercations inside and just outside El Imperio Disk Bar on Springdale Avenue, according to the Hartford Courant. In that case, Cristofer Isreal Vasquez-Lequi turned himself in this past May on a first-degree assault charge connected to the incident, the Courant reported.
For now, Meriden police have not released further details about what led to Friday's stabbing near the Green. The investigation remains active as detectives work to determine exactly what happened before Mitchell sought help at the smoke shop.
