Double Gang Shooting Leads To Arrest

A beef between two New Haven gangs erupted in gunfire that left a 23-year-old Hamden man in the hospital — and later arrested.

That’s according to an arrest warrant affidavit written by Hamden Police Det. Jomo Crawford.

The Hamden police arrested the man last week based on the warrant, charging him with first-degree criminal attempt commit assault and reckless endangerment and illegal discharge of a firearm. He is being held on $350,000 bond. Hamden police announced the arrest in a release Tuesday.

The Independent obtained a copy of the affidavit Tuesday after Hamden police’s spokesperson sent out an email press release about the arrest.

According to the affidavit and the press release, the double shooting took place in the early hours of May 13 outside of Studio 1537 on Dixwell Avenue in Hamden.

The shooting involved two Newhallville-based gangs: ​“Star Block” and ​“GSB.”

So far, police have arrested one 23-year-old Hamden man allegedly involved in the shooting.

Here’s what happened, according to the affidavit.

The 23-year-old Hamden man with the nickname ​“Nani” was shot in the butt and the right hand. Another victim, a 22-year-old Hamden resident, was shot multiple times and suffered injuries to the buttocks, hand and pelvis. Both were transported to the hospital, where they were treated for ​“serious physical injuries.”

Yale New Haven Hospital security later took a black semi auto Crevena Zastava 7.65 mm gun from Nani after he arrived at the hospital the night of the shooting.

The affidavit states that surveillance footage of the shooting from The Hamden Variety Store, which is located right next store to Studio 1537, showed a man dressed all in white exit a Mazda’s front passenger seat at around 11 p.m. the night of the shooting. Another man wearing a red baseball hat, dark jeans, a black t‑shirt, and red Jordan Fives sneakers exited the car’s driver side.

The man wearing all white was later identified as a 23-year-old man with the nickname ​“Jizz.” Police identified the man in the red hat and sneakers as a man with the nickname ​“Trigga.”

At around 12:04 a.m., Jizz and Trigga left the club and headed back to their car.

There, they were approached by two men: one nicknamed Kuku, the other nicknamed Gunna.

According to the affidavit, Gunna kept his right hand firmly in his fleece pocket during their brief meeting by the car. Jizz reached into the car, retrieved an item, and concealed it under his shirt in his right hand.

The group of four then walked together through the club’s parking lot and towards the club’s front entrance.

At around 12:13 a.m., a person matching Jizz’s description is seen standing near the front of the club. He raised his hand ​“and muzzle flash is seen coming from the end of his hand, which is indicative of him firing a firearm,” the affidavit reads. ​“He is firing in the direction of other individuals in front of the club. At that point the crowd of people in the area began to scatter and run in various directions.”

Police later found a group of .9 mm shell casings in the parking lot and road way near where Jizz fired the gun.

Surveillance footage from the nearby Rainbow Cleaners also showed a man dressed all in white firing a gun, according to the affidavit.

That Rainbow Cleaners footage showed a second person, whom police believe to be Nani, standing in front of the club.

That second man ​“raises his hand in a shooting motion towards [Jizz] and appears to fire as [Jizz] fires his firearm in the direction of [Nani] and other individuals.”

During a subsequent audio/video interview, Nani stated he was outside in front of Studio 1537 at the time of the shooting, according to the affidavit.

After the original shooting between Jizz and Nani in front of Studio 1537, ​“there were multiple other shots fired by other unknown individuals and shell casings located in the areas other than the front of the club which is confirmed through video,” the affidavit reads.

Nani and Jizz were no longer in front of the club when those other shots were fired.

On May 13, Crawford and another Hamden detective interviewed Nani at Yale New Haven Hospital, where he had had surgery due to his gunshot wounds.

“During the interview, [Nani] said that he was outside of the Studio 1537 near the entrance to the parking lot and saw someone shooting so he fired shots too.”

Nani said he wasn’t sure if he was being shot at at the time.

He said he saw someone standing roughly seven feet away, ​“facing him and shooting towards him.” So he responded by shooting, too.

Surveillance video footage from yet another nearby business, Dynamic Auto, showed a man who appeared to be Nani running after the shooting.

In that video, Nani ​“does have a dark mark/stain on the rear left buttocks area of his jeans which is consistent with him shot in the rear left buttocks area.” The footage also showed that Nani had a dark colored firearm in his right hand.

While running, Nani turned, ​“appears to get startled and fires several gunshots to the north of his location” while in the parking lot.

“He appears to be firing at an unknown party who is running [south] across the driveway which separates Dynamic Auto and the Hamden Smoke Shop.”

Several spent GFL 7.64 mm rounds were later found in the Dynamic Auto parking lot in the area where Nani was seen shooting the gun.

That incident took place after the initial shooting between Jizz and Nani outside the club.

On May 14, the two detectives then met with a confidential informant ​“whose information has led to numerous arrests and convictions in the past.” That informant is ​“very familiar from the Newhallville and exit 8 areas of New Haven,” according to the affidavit.

The informant told the detectives that Nani, Jizz, Trigga, Kuku, and Gunna were all involved in the shootings at Studio 1537.

The informant said that Jizz, Trigga, Kuku, and Henderson are all members of a street gang called ​“Star Block” from Newhallville, and they have an ongoing feud with another Newhallville street gang called ​“GSB.” The informant said that Nani is a member of GSB.

Crawford wrote that he is aware of the ongoing dispute between Star Block and GSB through ​“past intel meetings and personal experience.”

Then, on May 25, Hamden police interviewed Jizz. Jizz told the Hamden cops that he was present at Studio 1537 the night of the shooting. He said that, while standing outside the club, ​“someone pulled out a gun so he shot his own gun and fired it two to three times in the direction of the individual who pulled out their gun.”

Jizz also told police that ​“he has been shot on two separate occasions and did not want to be shot again.” And he said he had been wearing all white the night of the shooting.

And he told the police he wanted to be arrested ​“as soon as possible so he can get it over with.” Hamden police arrested Jizz on July 29. He has been charged with one felony count of carrying a pistol without a permit, one felony count of first-degree assault, and one misdemeanor count of first-degree reckless endangerment.