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Wounded Teen Settles for $750,000

As reported by the Connecticut Post, a Shelton teenager, shot at a party, was paid $750,000 in an out-of-court settlement. The settlement for Jessica Scinto, 17, was reached as jury selection in a lawsuit against Craig and Maria Bursey, owners of the home where the party was held, was to begin in Superior Court.

“The settlement allows my client to pay for her medical bills, which were substantial, and allows her to be fairly compensated for all she has been through,” said Scinto’s lawyer, of the Bridgeport law firm, Tremont Sheldon P.C.. Scinto, then 15, was attending a party of Shelton High School students organized by Craig Bursey Jr., then 18, in his parents’ home on Gray Street, police said. The parents were not home at the time.

During the party Bursey bragged about his father’s handgun and offered to show it to the other teens. He removed the .32-caliber handgun from a sock drawer in his parents’ bedroom and was showing it off when it discharged, shooting Scinto once in the chest.

Attorney said Scinto was rushed into emergency surgery at Bridgeport Hospital where it was determined the bullet had lacerated her liver and caused a blood clot in her heart. “There was a lot of internal bleeding and she is very, very lucky to be alive,” he said. Attorney said the girl suffered permanent scarring from the surgery, but was eventually able to return to school. Bursey was initially charged with second-degree assault and later granted accelerated rehabilitation, a special form of probation for first-time offenders.