Warrant: Facebook Posts Fueled Shooting

“Uhhh you know, I was going through it.”

Those words helped lead to the arrest of a 19-year-old New Haven man for allegedly shooting a gun outside of a preschool in the direction of an apartment complex in retaliation against people who made Facebook posts mocking the recent murder of a fellow gang member.

Those details are laid out in an arrest warrant affidavit written by New Haven Police Department Det. Gregory Dash on May 17. The Independent obtained a copy of the six-page affidavit on Thursday.

The case involves a 19-year-old New Haven man named Natquan Swan, whose side of the story was laid out as well in the affidavit.

Police believe Swan was involved in the shooting of 23 rounds in front of the Dr. Reginald Mayo Early Learning Center preschool at dismissal time on April 12. No one was injured in the incident, which put the community on edge.

According to the state’s online criminal court database, on Tuesday, city police arrested Swan and charged him with a host of felonies and misdemeanors for his alleged participation in that shooting. 

Those new charges include attempt to commit first-degree assault, criminal possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, illegal discharge of a firearm, illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, first-degree reckless endangerment, and risk of injury to a child.

These aren’t the first charges city police have arrested Swan for in connection with the April 12 Goffe Street shooting.

The same day that the shooting took place, police arrested Swan and two 17-year-olds on charges related to his alleged theft of a Toyota RAV4 and his and his associates’ alleged possession of three guns: a 9‑millimeter​“ghost gun” with a 50-round magazine, a 9‑millimeter handgun with a 35-round magazine, and a Taurus 9‑millimeter handgun. Swan has been incarcerated since mid-April due to those initial charges. 

Dash’s May 17 affidavit, meanwhile, and these newly filed shooting-related charges reveal in greater detail what police believe happened that Tuesday afternoon when nearly two dozen shots were fired outside of the Goffe Street preschool. 

They also shine a light on a potential motivation for the shooting — namely, ​“mocking” social media posts and retaliation related to the murder the previous day of a fellow gang member.

Swan has not yet entered pleas to any of these criminal charges, according to the state’s online criminal database. 

He is quoted offering his side In Dash’s affidavit.

Swan is quoted as initially telling police investigators that he had nothing to do with the April 12 shooting or car theft. Rather, he told police that he had gone to a probation meeting on Grand Avenue earlier in the day, and then he took a ride-share out to Hamden to visit his aunt. He claimed that he had never seen the stolen car prior to his arrest, that he did not know the two 17-year-olds who were also arrested for this incident, and that his fingerprints or DNA would not not be found inside of the RAV4 or on the firearm. 

Later on in the affidavit, Dash writes about a recorded phone call that Swan made from the Whalley Avenue jail on May 3 in which he appearsed to admit that he was involved in the April 12 shooting on Goffe Street. 

All of this comes as the city has seen yet another recent shooting on Goffe Street, this time resulting in the injury of a 16-year-old. Police said Thursday that they do not believe that latest shoot is related to the April 12 shooting. (See more below for information on that recent shootings and others, as described in city police email press releases.)

Shots Fired, During Preschool Dismissa

Dash’s affidavit states that, at around 2:25 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12, police received a ShotSpotter alert that five gunshots had been fired in the area of 200 Goffe St.

When city police officers responded to the area, they found ​“23 fired cartridge cases in the roadway of the 200 block of Goffe Street.”

New Haven Police Officer Pazsak interviewed a property management employee of the St. Martin’s Townhouses at 200 Goffe St., who provided Pazsak with video surveillance footage from the incident.

“The footage showed a white Toyota Rav‑4 traveling west on Goffe Street from Sperry Street at approximately 1425 hours,” Dash wrote. ​“As the Rav‑4 approached the E Building of 200 Goffe Street, the rear passenger windows of the Rav‑4 lowered. The two rear seat occupants emerged from the Rav‑4 and hung out of the vehicle. The two rear seat occupants pointed firearms towards 200 Goffe Street and discharged them into the complex.” The car then headed west on Goffe and turned south on Orchard Street toward Whalley Avenue.

Dash also reviewed video footage from a second surveillance camera at the 200 Goffe St. apartment complex.

“The footage showed just prior to the gunfire, a small toddler riding a bicycle in front of 200 Goffe Street,” Dash wrote. ​“When the gunshots were fired the toddler dropped her bicycle and ran toward two adults. The child and the adults ran into their apartment to shelter themselves.”

Dash then wrote that he spoke with a state Department of Correction intelligence officer who happened to be on the scene during the shooting. The officer happened to be picking up his child from the Reginald Mayo Early Learning Center across the street from the apartment complex.

The officer told Dash that ​“just prior to the shooting the school was actively letting children out of the building for dismissal. School buses were waiting in the parking lot as children boarded them. As the children were boarding their school buses and being picked up by parents or family members, [the DOC officer] heard the distinct sound of gunshots. [He] dropped to the ground and turned toward 200 Goffe Street. [He] observed two individuals hanging out of the rear passenger windows shooting into the housing complex located at 200 Goffe Street.” He said the car was a white newer model SUV, but that he couldn’t see the registration plate and would not be able to identify the shooters if he saw them again.

Meanwhile, the same St. Martin’s Townhouses employee who provided the police with surveillance footage also told Officer Pazsak that she was walking into the building’s main office when she heard the gunshots and saw a white SUV driving toward Orchard Street.

“She informed Officer Pazsak she believed the people getting shot at was a group of 10 – 15 juveniles hanging out on a set of stairs” outside of one of the apartment complex’s buildings. Dash also described video surveillance footage showing a group of teenagers at the apartment complex running from the gunfire.

Roughly 15 minutes after the Goffe Street shooting took place, city police received a call from a ​“concerned citizen regarding a suspicious vehicle and occupants who were clad in all black clothing and face masks.” The concerned citizen said that the suspicious vehicle matched the make and model of the one used in the gunfire. They said that vehicle ​“was seen dropping three individuals off in the area of Level Street and Lodge Street.”

Dash later confirmed that a Toyota Rav‑4 that had been stolen out of Wallingford ​“matched the exact make, model and color of the vehicle used in the shooting at 200 Goffe Street on April 12, 2022.”

Another city detective worked with members of Toyota customer service, who were able to provide ​“real time GPS pings” for the stolen Rav‑4. Those ​“pings” showed that the car traveled through New Haven and into Hamden.

Later the same day as the shooting, members of the city’s Criminal Intelligence Unit and Shooting Task Force followed the Rav‑4 in undercover police vehicles. They saw the vehicle stop at a 7‑Eleven on Dixwell Avenue in Hamden, and then head over to Promenade Drive.

At around 8:54 p.m., Sgt. Chris Cameron informed members of the city police department that three males — two 17-year-olds and Swan — were walking toward the stolen Rav‑4.

When a city police detective entered the parking lot and turned on his unmarked police cruiser’s emergency lots, all three individuals started running. One of the juveniles ran through an alley in the apartment complex, and was detained by Cameron. A Hamden police sergeant found one 9 mm Polymer 90 ​“ghost gun” firearm with a 30 round magazine ​“in the direct path of travel” of where that juvenile had run.

The second 17-year-old also ran through an alley in the apartment complex, and tried to enter an apartment. An officer was able to arrest him, and found a black bag containing a 9mm Polymer 80 ​“ghost gun” firearm with a 50 round drum magazine.

Swan, meanwhile, ran through another alley and onto Mix Avenue. Another detective was able to locate and arrest Swan. A Hamden police sergeant was able to find in Swan’s path of travel a Taurus G2S 9mm firearm. Dash wrote that Swan was already a convicted felon, and therefore prohibited from possessing firearms.

"I Let My Anger Get The Best Of Me"

New Haven Police Det. Brian Diange and Dash then conducted a post-arrest interview with Swan.

According to Dash’s affidavit, Swan told the detectives that he had reported to a probation meeting on Grand Avenue earlier in the day. After the meeting concluded, he took a Lyft ride-share to his home in Fair Haven.

Then, at around 5 or 6 p.m., he said he ordered another Lyft to visit his aunt, who he said lives in the area of Promenade Drive in Hamden. ​“Swan would not disclose his aunt’s name, nor her apartment number.”

Swan told police that he did not know the two 17-year-olds who were arrested alongside him. He said that he was never inside of the Rav‑4 on April 12, and that he had never seen the vehicle prior to that day’s incident.

Dash asked Swan if he went into the 7‑Eleven fas station on Dixwell Avenue. Swan said he did not. ​“Swan stated his fingerprints or DNA would not be inside of the Rav‑4 or the firearm.”

Dash then informed Swan that city police officers had been following the Rav‑4 from New Haven to Hamden. Swan then told Dash that he no longer wished to speak to the detectives. After the interview, Dash brought Swan to the detention center at police headquarters at 1 Union Ave.

The following day, two Shooting Task Force officers went to the 7‑Eleven on Dixwell Avenue and spoke with one of the store’s employees, who provided the officers with surveillance footage from April 12. That footage showed a white Rav‑4 arrive at the gas station at around 7:21 p.m. Dash saw in the video Swan and one of the 17-year-olds get out of the car and go into the store. In the video, Swan was seen wearing the same outfit he was wearing when police arrested him less than two hours later.

Also that Wednesday, city police received a notification from the federal Bureau of Alchohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) regarding a preliminary notification of a NIBIN correlation between the Taurus 9mm pistol found at the scene of Swan’s arrest and the fired cartridge casings found that Tuesday afternoon outside of 200 Goffe St. 

Then, on May 5, a state DOC intel officer let Dash know that Swan — who had been incarcerated at the New Haven Correctional Center on Whalley Avenue since April 12 — had made several phone calls from prison.

“Prior to an inmate making a telephone call, the inmate is told that the call is being monitored,” Dash wrote.

Dash wrote that Swan called a woman from prison on May 3.

The two spoke about the press conference that the city police department held after Swan’s arrest on April 12.

The woman began the phone conversation by asking Swan, ​“You shooting near a school now? What you got going on?”

Swan responded, ​“Uhhh you know, I was going through it.”

The woman replied, ​“Yeah but damn don’t be dumb, what you got to be so dumb for?”

“You know why though; it wasn’t for nothing,” Swan said.

“I know why,” the woman replied, ​“but damn you got to be smart though.”

“Nah you right,” Swan said. ​“I let my anger get the best of me.”

Then the woman asked, ​“Yo who had the shit with the titty?”

Swan replied, ​“Umm the person that I told you was um, dropping it off that day, I said I be right back, and I said grab that bag for me.”

Dash then wrote that, based on his training and experience, he knows that the words ​“Going through it” are street slang or code for ​“feeling sad or depressed.”

When Swan said that ​“It wasn’t for nothing,” Dash wrote, he was aware that Jorge Delgado, ​“a gang member of the ​‘Exit 8 Gang’ was the victim of a homicide the day prior,” on April 11.

“Swan is an associate of the ​‘Exit 8 Gang,’ and has documented incidents with other ​‘Exit 8 Gang’ members of New Haven,” Dash continued.

“Members of the Criminal Intelligence Unit were also aware of Facebook posts, mocking Delgado’s homicide, made from individuals who associate at the 200 Goffe Street housing complex. Screen shots of those Facebook posts were digitally captured and seized as evidence.”

Furthermore, Dash wrote, when the woman on the phone asked, ​“Yo who had the shit with the titty,” Dash knew that ​“titty” is street slang for a 50 round drum firearm magazine.

In summary, Dash wrote, Swan was arrested on April 12 ​“after he was walking toward a stolen white Rav‑4. The same color, make and model Rav‑4 was used in the gunfire incident at 200 Goffe Street hours prior. Upon seeing a Police presence, Swan fled on foot and a Taurus g2S 9mm handgun … was located in the path Swan ran. The same Taurus G2S 9mm handgun was test fired by New Haven Police Bureau of Identification Detectives. The test fire showed the firearm Swan was arrested with was responsible for the gunfire at 200 Goffe Street on April 12, 2022. Swan later admitted to firing the gunshots at 200 Goffe Street over a recorded Department of Corrections telephone line.”

Based on all of that, Dash concluded, he believes there’s probable cause that Swan is guilty of criminal attempt to commit assault in the first degree, criminal possession of a firearm, pistol without a permit, unlawful discharge of a firearm, reckless endangerment in the first degree, risk of injury to a minor, and weapon in a motor vehicle.

Another Goffe Shooting; Car Crash Fire on Amity Rd.

The city has seen a spate of shootings recently, as weather has warmed up. City police spokesperson Officer Scott Shumway has sent out email press releases over the past few days detailing the following incidents, which included a car-crash fire as well:

• On Wednesday at around 10:55 a.m., city police received a call regarding a person shot on Goffe Street between Orchard and Winter Streets. Responding officers found a 16-year-old male who had been struck by gunfire. An ambulance transported the victim to Yale New Haven Hospital, where he is listed in stable condition. 

The shooting took place near the Reginald Mayo preschool on Goffe Street. ​“Area schools were placed in lockdown out of an abundance of caution,” Shumway wrote. ​“Once the area was determined to be safe, the lockdowns were lifted.” (The shooting is not believed to be related to the April 12 incident.)

• On Thursday at around 1:40 a.m., city police responded to the report of a single-vehicle crash on Amity Road between Fowler Street and Wright Avenue. Nearby Woodbridge police officers heard the crash and responded to assist. ​“They arrived to find the vehicle engulfed in flames and were able to successfully remove the operator.” An ambulance then transported the vehicle’s operator, a 26-year-old man from Bridgeport, to Yale New Haven Hospital ​“where he is being treated for life-threatening injuries.”

• On Tuesday at around 10:42 p.m., city police received a call from Yale New Haven Hospital about a walk-in gunshot victim. Responding officers found a 28-year-old New Haven man being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. City detectives have subsequently determined that the shooting incident took place on Lodge Street between Level Street and the dead-end.

• On Monday at around 10:09 p.m., city police received a ShotSpotter alert of gunfire on Beers Street between Edgewood Avenue and Elm Street. Responding officers saw a vehicle fleeing the area and heading toward the hospital. ​“It was determined that the vehicle was transporting a 25-year-old New Haven man, and a 22-year-old New Haven woman, who had been struck by gunfire. Once at the hospital, both victims were treated for non-life-threatening injuries and listed in stable condition.” City police officers also found a 33-year-old New Haven woman who had been struck by gunfire on Beers Street. An ambulance transported her to the hospital, where she was listed in stable condition.

Police ask that any witnesses who have not yet spoken with the Police about any of these shooting incidents contact the New Haven Police Department Investigative Services Division at 203 – 946-6304. Callers may remain anonymous or submit tips anonymously by calling 1 – 866-888-TIPS(8477), or text ​“NHPD plus your message” to 274637 (CRIMES).