Friends and family of a Bridgeport man killed on New Year's Day in Hamden spoke publicly for the first time Wednesday about their loss.

Those who knew and loved 23-year-old Adrian Lopez say their community has been deeply impacted by his death — and they're still trying to come to terms with this sudden and tragic loss.

"I just love the type of connection that we all just had," friend Manny Cobb told News 12.

Cobb says he grew up with Lopez at Marina Village and knew Lopez since he was 6 years old. He says his close friend was a great basketball player at Bassick High School and that losing him is heartbreaking.

"It was like, we're not just friends, we're family, blood," he added. "It's like, you're my brother, you're my sister; and that's how it was."  

Police say Lopez, the driver of the vehicle he was in, was one of three people shot on Route 15 south in Hamden near Exit 60 around 2 a.m. on New Year's Day.

A close family member, April Barron, says relatives are not going to go on camera because they are concerned for their safety in the wake of this shooting, which is still being investigated.

"We are at a great loss, another homicide, another killing," said Barron. "It's past crazy, how we're losing our youth."

Police say one of the other two victims was critically injured while the third suffered injuries not considered life-threatening.

All of the victims of the shooting are from Bridgeport, police say.