Arrest Made In July Homicide

Police have arrested an alleged lookout who fled to North Carolina after the murder of a 26-year-old man in the Hill, and they have a warrant for the suspected triggerman.

Police Chief Frank Limon (at right in photo with Assistant Chief John Velleca) made that announcement at a press conference at police headquarters on Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Limon applauded detectives for quickly solving the murder of John-Claude James, a Dewitt Street resident who was fatally shot on July 9 in an attempted street robbery.

The victim’s mom, Sharon James Boyd, and stepdad, Pastor Eugene Boyd, embraced and shed tears at the press conference Tuesday as police recounted the manner in which their son died.

It was broad daylight at 6 p.m. on a summer Saturday. James was shot multiple times near 518 Howard Ave. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. He was one of six people who would be killed in the Hill neighborhood between March and the end of July, prompting soul-searching and anti-violence efforts.

Police do not believe the killing was related to the other homicides, Velleca said. It wasn’t drug-related either, he said.

“It was a street robbery gone bad,” Velleca said. It started when someone tried to steal a gold chain from James’ neck, Velleca said.

He said detectives were able to crack the case based on testimony from witnesses. Detective Wayne Bullock and his partner, Detective Dave Zaweski, canvassed the neighborhood after the robbery. Bullock said detectives learned the identities of the two suspects — and learned that they had fled to North Carolina together one or two days after the crime.

Detectives put out a felony broadcast for the two suspects. On July 29, they got lucky: One of the suspects, who’s 24, was arrested for a strong-armed robbery in Greenville, North Carolina. Cops down there alerted New Haven police to his arrest. He was served with a warrant for ​“criminal liability for the Act of Murder.”

That charge is for aiding and abetting a murder, Velleca said — when a suspect has facilitated a situation that enabled a crime.

In this case, the suspect served as a lookout for the murder and made a phone call that enabled him and the triggerman to get a ride away from the scene, according to Bullock. The suspect is being held on a $1 million bond and is awaiting extradition to Connecticut.

Police are still on the lookout for the suspected triggerman. Zachary Cody Franklin, who’s 27, of 89 Ogden St. in West Haven, is wanted for murder.

Police released this photo of him and are asking anyone who’s seen him to call Detective Wayne Bullock at (203)946‑6304 or (203)946‑6316. The suspect is 5 foot 7 inches tall and weighs 160 lbs.

2 Shot In Hill

Meanwhile, gun violence continued in the Hill Monday night, leaving a 24-year-old man in critical condition. The victim arrived to a hospital emergency room with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Around the same time, a 26-year-old man showed up to the hospital suffering from multiple gunshot non-life threatening wounds, including a shot to the leg. Both arrived by private car.

Velleca said one of the victims was uncooperative and the other one was unable to speak to police because of his dire condition, so cops don’t have much information about the shooting yet. Police aren’t sure if the two incidents are related, according to police spokesman Officer Joe Avery. Police got reports of gunshots at 11:40 p.m. Monday in the areas of Congress Avenue and Button Street; Velleca didn’t specify where police believe the crime scene was.

Crime Map

Click here for a list of emergency calls for major incidents on Monday, Aug. 15. Click on the image below to see those crimes placed on a city-wide map.

For block-by-block year-to-date crime info, and daily crime maps, check the Independent’s crime log.