New London — A significant part of Curtis Goodwin's adult life has been aimed at violence prevention within the city.

And yet he spent Monday with his family trying to process the violent death of his adopted brother.

"I'm slightly angry and at the same time slightly motivated," Goodwin said, alluding to the death of Travon Brown, 27, who was stabbed to death Sunday afternoon in the city.

It was New London's third fatal assault in eight days.

"I haven't seen one town meeting, money allocated or even a meeting at a church," Goodwin said. "Three murders in eight days. It's like everybody's become numb to it. It's not the message we want to send."

Capt. Brian Wright of the New London Police Department said the investigation into Brown's stabbing remains active.

Wright said he could not comment on whether police had any suspects or had taken anyone into custody Sunday or Monday. He was adamant that despite social media posts Monday claiming otherwise, no arrests had been made.

"I will say unequivocally there have been no arrests associated with this stabbing," Wright said. "I don't know how that got out there. We have not made an arrest."

Police found Travon Brown suffering from stab wounds on Sunday about 2:30 p.m. in a house near the intersection of Grand Street and Elm Street. Wright said Brown had sought assistance at 22 Grand St., but the residents there were not involved in the incident.

Emergency personnel took Brown to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Wright said he could not yet comment on the nature of Brown's injuries, as police are awaiting a full autopsy report.

Police said Brown's last known address was 74 Blackhall St. in New London.

Goodwin, the 2005 valedictorian and class president at New London High School, has a marketing degree from Johnson & Wales, owns a production company and works for a technology company at which he's responsible for linking major companies to women and people of color.

Yet his compassion and diligence stemming from a previous act of violence in the city — the random stabbing death of Matthew Chew in 2010 — has gained Goodwin citywide respect.

Goodwin didn't merely lament Chew's death, but he helped create New London Youth Talent Show, eight years running, an outlet for many kids in and out of the city to express themselves and believe in tomorrow.

"When death hits home so often, it feels like you are stuck between two worlds," Goodwin said. "I could go into the corporate world. I could stay here and help. But is it right to retreat? But at the same time, are other people going to join the fight?"

Brown's friend D.J. Exum, who played on the same basketball team as him at New London High and is now a counselor at Sound Community Services, said, "To see something like this happen to him, before he's 30 years old ... it's a struggle to see."

Exum said he'd seen Brown grow up with a troubled past.

"He's been through a whole lot. Sometimes people don't feel like they have anybody behind them and they start doing other things. But I spent enough time with Tray to know he's a good, caring guy," he said. "We're not malicious kids in New London. It's just that when you put boredom and opportunity in the same room, these things are going to happen."

In 2012, Brown pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer and served 10 months in prison after New London police say he fought with several officers after he was seen punching a woman in the face on Bank Street. He later served another 30 days in jail for violating his three-year probation. 

Wright described the stabbing as "not a random act," and while police Monday were still trying to ascertain what caused the incident, he said, "we believe since it wasn't random, it was some type of conflict."

"We don't feel the need to express that the public is in any danger at this time," Wright added, saying there was no indication Brown's death was connected to two separate fatal incidents over the last eight days. "None of the aforementioned acts of violence were random acts."

On Saturday, Dec. 9, police found a man shot dead inside an Ochard Street apartment. The next day, a man was fatally stabbed on the second floor steps at 39 Tilley St. In that stabbing case, police charged 44-year-old Patrick McInerney with murder.

Some locals said the recent spate of violence could rattle visitors.

"When I saw the paper today ... it actually gave me pause," said longtime New London resident Henry Savin, at Monica's State Street Diner. "I don't know that it was pause about coming downtown, but it made me think about it. And I think that doesn't help any of us in town, whether businesses here or anyone."

Barry Neistat, who co-owns Muddy Waters with his wife, Susan Devlin, said "the perception of New London suffers" when violence occurs, but solutions are hard to pin down.

"If someone's robbed on Bank Street, you'd want to put more cops on the street," Neistat said. The recent shootings and stabbings, on the other hand, are challenging if not impossible for law enforcement to predict and prevent, Neistat argued.

Mayor Michael Passero, who issued a statement last week on "unacceptable violence in our city," said in an interview that "losing a young life like this is about the worst thing that can happen in a community. Our heart goes out to the family."

Still, Passero argued the stabbing Sunday was not an indication public safety was in decline.

"This is not a crime where the general public is at risk," he said. "This isn't something that the community is not safe. My message is one of perseverance. We're making great strides ... but we have to redouble our resolve to make sure that going forward our children don't go down a path that ends up in this type of tragedy."

Several city agencies have been working together in an initiative to provide services to people in need before tragedies occur, the mayor noted last week. Police and fire department members, emergency services, human services and the building department are playing a role in the initiative.

m.dimauro@theday.comb.kail@theday.com