A list of homicide victims and their stories from 2010 to 2014. If you notice anything missing or incorrect please email rscinto@nhregister.com. This is the same information used to make the homicide map, but in a more personal format.

Scroll to the right to see story links.

August so far has been a violent month for New Haven. As of August 18 there have been four reported homicides along with five non-fatal shooting victims.

August 1: Two 26-year-old men are shot while near the intersection of Kensington and Chapel streets. Tyrese Jones succumbs to his wounds and the other victim survived. Police obtained a warrant for the arrest of Errol Godfrey-Hill, who was already being held on other charges.

August 3: A 71-year-old man allegedly shot a 23-year-old man in the head in a Donna Drive apartment building. There are conflicting stories about what transpired during the incident. Police charged Anthony Anamasi with first-degree assault.

August 6: A store clerk shoots and kills robbery suspect Christian Munoz, 19. Police rule that the homicide was in self-defense and the clerk wasn't charged.

August 7: A man was shot while driving his car on Ridge Street. Police said that he was shot by a man inside the car and the man attempted to take another shot at the victim, but missed.

August 8: Three people are shot while inside a car near the intersection of Davenport Avenue and Vernon Street. Jacob Craggett, 15, succumbed to his wounds and his brother Joshua Craggett, 23, was last reported to be in critical, but stable condition. Jacob Craggett was buried on August 16.

August 17: Darryl McNair was just hours into his 58th birthday when he was struck and killed by a stray bullet while playing solitaire in his residence around 2 a.m. on Strong Street.

Thank you Monica Rhodes for forwarding several pictures of homicide victims from years past. Often we obtain photos from obituaries and family members, but some photos are hard to find. If you have a photo and are willing to share please send it to rscinto@nhregister.com.

Andre Jackson

Darryl McIver

Donald Bradley

Isiah Gantt

Shawn Alexander

Family, friends and teammates laid homicide victim Jacob Craggett, 15, to rest Saturday afternoon.

Craggett's brother Joshua Craggett, 23, is still recovering at Yale-New Haven Hospital and spoke to mourners via Facetime.

Read more at the New Haven Register.

Darryl McNair was playing solitaire in the basement of his West Hills home Sunday when gunfire erupted and a stray bullet struck and killed him. He turned 58-years-old the same day.

Read more at the New Haven Register. 

Jacob Craggett on left.

Lisa Craggett had been operating on seven hours of sleep since Friday night when her son Jacob Craggett, 15, was shot and killed and her other son Joshua Craggett was critically wounded.

She got back from visiting Joshua at Yale-New Haven Hospital, which is around the corner from Friday night's shooting scene and near her mother and sister's house Tuesday afternoon. She was eager to tell Jacob's story.

She said she would recall Jacob Craggett as an average 15-year-old who was heavily interested in football and someone who his friends could count on as a mentor when they needed advice. He played defensive tackle at Hillhouse High School.

Jacob Craggett's funeral is Saturday August 16 at Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church at 425 Newhall Street in Hamden, just over the New Haven border. Viewing will take place between 9 and 11 a.m. with the funeral to follow from approximately 11 to 1 p.m.

Lisa Craggett urged anyone with information about the shooting to call police, even if they think the information is just rumor or hearsay. Its up to the detectives to sort out truth from fiction, she said. The number for detectives is 203-946-6316.

Friday night's shooting stirred up memories of when Jacob and Joshua's cousin Jason Craggett, 22, was shot and killed at the front step of the family home in 2004.

Jackson

NEW HAVEN >> After a prosecutor reported Friday that the state’s lone witness had recanted her allegations against Lawrence Easterling III in the shooting death of Devaante Jackson, a judge dismissed the charge of murder.

Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Clifford also dismissed the other pending charges in the case: carrying a pistol without a permit and illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle.

Although Easterling, 20, of 294 Eastern St., still faces four pending cases unrelated to the murder, he had previously posted the $50,000 bond for them and so was able to walk out of the courthouse Friday with his relieved family. He had been held in lieu of a $650,000 bail on the murder charge.

“Justice has prevailed,” said Easterling’s father, Lawrence Easterling Jr., who was in court with three other family members.

Read more at the New Haven Register.

Read more about how Devaante Jackson's will remember him.

 Police announced Thursday that they have arrested Errol Godfrey-Hill, 19, for a double shooting at Kensington and Chapel streets last week that resulted in a death.

Godfrey-Hill was charged with carrying a handgun without a permit Aug. 3 and was held in lieu of $500,000 bail, according to court records.

A warrant that charges Godfrey-Hill with murder was signed Thursday. The bond was set at $1 million and he is scheduled to be arraigned Friday.

Read more about the shooting at the Register.

Covington

New Haven >> A Superior Court judge Monday ruled there is probable cause to prosecute Jeffrey Covington on a murder charge for allegedly shooting to death 17-year-old Taijhon Washington.

Covington, 19, of New Haven, also faces a charge of first-degree assault for allegedly shooting and wounding Washington’s half-brother, Travon Washington, 16, as the two youths crossed a Newhallville Street March 24.

Judge Brian T. Fischer made his decision late Monday afternoon after two full days of testimony. Covington probably won’t go on trial until next spring at the earliest.

Read more at the Register.

Police ask anyone with information to call them at 203-946-6304. Calls can be made anonymously.

Athiyan Sivakumar
Age:1
Date of incident: Jan. 19
Weapon: Blunt force trauma
Case status: Total of three arrests made, one for first-degree manslaughter.
Crime location 71 Weybossett St.

Description: Sivakumar was being babysat by Kinjal Patel when she allegedly shook him and pushed him to the floor after he became fussy about eating, according to police. He was taken to the hospital and died three days later.

Sivakumar's parents were charged with risk of injury and interfering with police after they allegedly lied to detectives and violated a service agreement with the Department of Children and Families that barred them from using babysitters pending further investigation into a previous incident.

Durell Patrick Law
Age: 20
Date of incident: Jan. 20.
Weapon: Gun
Case status: Unsolved
Crime location: 130 Eastern St.

Description: Law was shot and killed in the afternoon on Eastern Street. He was the first gun violence homicide victim of the year in the city.

The homicide was the third in a row on the Eastern side of the city, something which up until a couple of months before Law's killing was a rarity.

Law's family urged anyone with information to come forward to police.

Varnouard Hall
Age: 33
Date of incident: Jan. 31
Weapon: Gun
Case status: Unsolved
Crime location: Intersection of East Pearl Street and Pierpont Street.

Description: Hall was shot and killed at the intersection of East Pearl Street and Pierpont Street, possibly in a drive-by incident.
.
About 60 people attended a vigil at the spot where Hall was killed a couple of days after the incident. He was remembered as a someone who helped steer friends and family members in the right direction.

Kyle Brown-Edwards
Age: 22
Date of incident: Feb. 10
Weapon: Gun
Case status: Unsolved
Crime location: 31 Kossuth St.

Description: Brown-Edwards was shot in the head at his residence at 31 Kossuth St.

His older brother, Dennis Carr Jr., was shot and killed in 1997 one city block away from where Brown-Edwards was shot. Brown-Edwards, then 5-years-old, wrote a letter, which was read in court.

“Why did that boy kill my brother?” Edwards’ letter said. “The only time I get to talk to him is just to go to the grave. I tell my mother everything is going to be OK. She may have lost one son, but she has me to watch over her.”

Taijhon Washington
Age: 17
Date of incident: March 24
Weapon: Gun
Case status: Arrest made, case pending.
Crime location: Intersection of Butler Street and Lilac Street.

Description: Washington and his 16-year-old half-brother were shot while walking near the intersection of Butler and Lilac streets. His half-brother survived a gunshot wound to the head, but Washington succumbed to a gunshot wound to the chest.

Police arrested Jeffrey Covington aka "Nephew Jeff" for the killing. A police arrest warrant indicates that the incident may be gang-related, but Washington's relatives said he wasn't involved in gang activity.

Torrence Gamble
Age: 16
Date of incident: April 3
Weapon: Gun
Case status: Unsolved
Crime location: 78 Daggett St.

Description: Gamble became the youngest homicide victim of the year after he was found shot in the head near 79 Daggett St.

He attended the funeral for homicide victim Taijhon Washington, 17, the day before he was shot. Hundreds of people, including Mayor Toni Harp and Superintendent Garth Harries attended Gamble's funeral.


Otis Powell
Age: 44
Date of incident: May 17
Weapon: Gun
Case status: Unsolved
Crime location: 465 Winthrop Ave.

Description: Powell had been found not guilty of assault with intent to murder in Michigan just a couple of weeks before he was shot and killed in New Haven.

Powell was visiting the city, which is where he used to live when he was killed. Police continue to investigate the case.

New Haven Police Officers, Michael Haines, left, and Brendan Borer (Mara Lavitt - New Haven Register)

The number of shooting and homicide victims is nearly the same for 2014 compared to the first half of 2013. 

There were seven homicide victims as of June 29, 2014, compared to eight for the same time period last year. There were 30 non-fatal shooting victims in 2014 compared to 31 for the same period in 2013.

Reports of robberies committed with a firearm have dropped by 30 percent from 140 last year compared to 98 this year as of June 29.

All property crimes categories are down from last year. The most significant reduction is theft from automobiles, which has tanked more than 41 percent compared to the same time period last year.

New Haven crime stats half of 2014

Brian Gibson

Errol Marshal

One year ago today on July 3, 2013, the city lost two young men to gun violence.

Brian Gibson, 23, was shot on South Genesee Street during a hot summer afternoon.


Errol Marshal, 19, was found on the front porch of 295 Division St. around 10:30 p.m. and was pronounced dead at the scene. Courtney Jackson, 25, of New Haven, was found at 169 Shelton Ave. with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, which he survived. 

Video from South Genesee Street

Police believe that the incidents are related. Jahmal Fulcher, 19, was arrested and charged with the murder of Gibson. Fulcher was developed as a suspect early on in the investigation. Police previously said that they believed a disagreement between the two led to the shooting.

New Haven Police Chief Dean Esserman comforts the family of slaying victim Brian Gibson after a press conference announcing the arrest of Jahmal Fulcher.Peter Casolino — New Haven Register

NEW HAVEN >> The defense attorney for Jeffrey Covington, accused of murder in the shooting death of Taijhon Washington, on Tuesday requested a probable cause hearing because the police version of the case allegedly has “problems” with identification of the shooter.

Lawyers and their defendants facing such charges almost always waive their right to probable cause hearings, in which the prosecution must show through witness testimony there are sufficient grounds for the allegations.

Read more at the New Haven Register.

Read more about the arrest.

Police investigate a shooting near
W. Ivy St. and Dixwell Ave Monday.

The city has been plagued by a rash shootings that have left eight injured and one dead.

Otis Powell, 44, was shot and killed May 17 near 365 Winthrop Ave. Read more at the Register.

NEW HAVEN >> Science Burrus, who said he accidentally shot to death his friend, 13-year-old Marquell Banks, will serve six years in prison under a recently reached plea agreement.

Read more at New Haven Register. 

Rivera

NEW HAVEN >> A judge sentenced 28-year-old Josue Rivera to 23 years in prison Friday for the 2012 stabbing death of his roommate.

Read more at the Register. 

Detectives detailed some of their investigatory methods in the lengthy arrest warrant affidavit for Jeffrey Covington.

Some of that included Facebook posts that were open to the public. Detectives were able to track down Covington's alleged Facebook profile under the name "Nephew Jeff" and look back at posts.

Covington is the man in the camouflage jacket, according to the warrant. The post is dated from earlier this year. The other individual holding what appears to be a revolver is a minor known to police and is mentioned in the warrant. Below is another screenshot from the other individual's account. It is dated a little more than a week after the homicide.

Below is another screenshot from the Nephew Jeff Facebook account mentioned in the warrant. Covington is an alleged member of the R-2 gang.

 Police have arrested and charged a man with murder for the homicide of 17-year-old Taijhon Washington.

Jeffrey Covington was arrested last night on unrelated charges and was being held overnight, said Assistant Chief Archie Generoso.

An arrest warrant for murder was signed overnight and Covington was served with the warrant this morning.

Taijhon Washington, of New Haven, was fatally shot shortly before 9 p.m. March 24 near Butler and Lilac streets. His 16-year-old half-brother was shot in the head and was listed in critical condition.

Update: We have received a photo of Abdul Rawas.

We are still hoping to get photos of several victims from 2010 to the present time so their faces don't fade away into memory.

Below is a list of some of the people whose pictures are missing. Please email pictures to rscinto@nhregister.com



2013:
Tirrell Drew

2012:
Gordon Shwisha
Reuben Gonzalez
Donald Bolden

2011:
Daryl Stephen McIver
Isaiah Gant


2010:
Javier Cosme
Shawn Alexander
Jeffrey Jones
Andre Jackson
Robert Smith

Tashaun Fair

Tashaun Fair, who was accused of killing Mitchell Dubey, but was ultimately acquitted, was recently found guilty for conspiracy to commit robbery.

Fair plead guilty to criminal possession of a firearm and conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery on April 3. The charge stemmed from an October 2013 incident.

He was sentenced to 12 years of jail, suspended after six years with probation for three years for the conspiracy charge and five years for the firearm charge.

He has been in the custody of the Department of Correction since Oct. 7, which is when he was arrested for the robbery incident. His maximum release date is Oct. 7, 2019.

The prosecution faced an uphill battle with the Dubey case, especially after the state's key witness backed down from a previous alleged story. Fair had a previous felony conviction for third-degree robbery from a 2011 case.

I found this interesting comment on the main article about Torrence Gamble Jr.'s funeral service. Many people will say that decades ago problems were at worst solved with fists and then everyone went home after. Police are still investigating leads on Gamble's death and the motive behind his shooting.

Read more about conflict resolution here.

Common_Tator wrote:

"As I drove past the memorial yesterday I couldn't help thinking how senseless this was. Was he being robbed? What could a 16 year old kid have that you need that badly, did he say something to you in school that day? If you're that mad, that's what your fists are for ONLY after you talk or at least try to talk to him and make sure you heard right. How are you going to fix it if you find out tomorrow he wasn't even talking about you? Guns are way too final. When they find you (and Esserman's guys have been doing a good job lately) you're going to have a whole different attitude than you have right now."

“Make Torrence’s life count for something,” said Bereavement Care Network Vice President Crystal Beard-Morton. 

Read more at the New Haven Register.

Funeral services for Torrence Gamble Jr. will be held Thursday, April 10, 2014 at 11 a.m. at St. Matthews Church, 400 Dixwell Ave, New Haven. Calling hours are from 10 a.m. until the service.

Full Obituary 

John Henry Cates

NEW HAVEN >> Tyrick Warren will not go through a second trial on a felony murder count in the shooting death of John Henry Cates, but he faces a nine-year prison sentence for attempted first-degree robbery in that case and for other charges in separate cases.

Warren has accepted a deal in which he pleaded guilty to the robbery charge and three other charges in exchange for a 15-year sentence, to be suspended after he serves nine years. He will also have three years of probation.

Read more at New Haven Register. 

Charges were also filed against Rajoun Julious aka "Snuggles," but they were dismissed in 2012. 

RICH SCINTO - NEW HAVEN REGISTER Mourners take part
 in a vigil Friday night in New Haven
 following the slaying of a city teenager Thursday night. 

There have been a couple of connections this year between homicide victims.

That in itself isn't too odd, as studies have shown one is more likely to become a victim of a homicide if he/she knows other homicide victims. The fewer degrees of separation, the higher the chance of becoming a victim.

New Haven is also a small city where many residents are multi-generational New Haveners. Some say that everybody knows everybody in the city one way or another and it's far often less than five degrees of separation.

Here are some of the connections between some of the homicides this year. There have been no arrests so far in any of the mentioned cases:

-Torrence Gamble attended the funeral for homicide victim Taijhon Washington on Wednesday, April 2. Gamble attended Riverside Academy; he and around 20 others from the school attended Washington's funeral, according to the New Haven Independent. Gamble seeked help the day prior to getting shot through Street Outreach Worker Doug Bethea.

-Durell Patrick Law's son is the nephew of Taijhon Washington.

-Going back, Washington is related to homicide victims Dallas Boomer and Thomas “TJ” Mozell.

Connections to those doing the good work

It's been bizarre that many of the 2014 homicide victims are closely related to several people in the community who are working hard to prevent violence.

-Law is related through marriage to Pastor Troy McNulty, who frequently goes to homicide, shooting and other violent crime scenes to offer support and love to the victim's family.

-Gamble is the nephew of Nakia Dawson, who founded the Bereavement Care Network to help support families after they lose a loved one, particularly to gun violence.

-Kyle Brown-Edwards is a cousin of Officer Jillian Knox, victim services coordinator for the New Haven Police Department. Edwards lost his brother to a murder in 1999.

Torrence "TJ" Gamble, 16, was shot and killed on Daggett Street in the Hill Thursday night. News spread quickly of how he was shot and eventually succumbed to his wounds. More background here. 

NEW HAVEN >> A 16-year-old city resident died early Friday morning at Yale-New Haven Hospital after he was shot in the head Thursday night on Daggett Street, police said.

Read more: New Haven activist fears latest homicides are ‘personal’

Social media reaction to news of Gamble's death

Torrence Gamble, of Henry Street, was found in front of 78 Daggett St. at about 9:40 p.m. suffering from a gunshot to the head. He was taken to the hospital and rushed into surgery. Gamble died at 3:15 a.m., police spokesman Officer David Hartman said.

Gamble is the city’s sixth homicide victim of 2014. He was a student at Riverside Academy, which is about a mile away from the shooting site.

There have been two homicides in the Hill North police district this year. The district encompasses the area within Ella T Grasso Boulevard, Legion Avenue, Columbus Avenue  and Church Street South. There was only one shooting all of 2012 in the district.

Police are still trying to piece together what happened Thursday night and ask anyone with information to call them at 203-946-6304.

Read more at New Haven Register.

Taijhon Washington was laid to rest Wednesday, April 2. About 300 mourners attended and many called for a stop to violence, especially during the Christian lent season.

Read more at the New Haven Independent. 

This is a map of every reported homicide from 2010 to current time in 2014. Clicking on any point will bring up victim's name, picture (if available) and other information along with a link to the most recent story on the case.

Marker colors represent years.
Red: 2010
Blue: 2011
Purple: 2012
Yellow: 2013
Green: 2014

This map is still a work in progress. See any omissions or errors? Want to add a picture or more information? Contact Rich Scinto at rscinto@nhregister.com or leave a comment on this post.

Year --Select-- 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Calling hours are Wednesday, April 2 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Beulah Heights First Pentecostal Church at 782 Orchard St. in New Haven. Service will follow at 11 a.m.

Read more on Howard K. Hill website.

More on story at New Haven Register.

Two men were shot, one killed, shortly before 9 p.m. Monday night near Butler and Lilac streets, according to police. Read more at New Haven Register.

A city mother lost one son to violence in 1997 and another this past week. Both her sons were killed about a block away from each other. Read more here.

This is the crime map for the Newhallville/East Rock police district between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2, 2014.

There were only two reported major incidents; one was of a man who was reportedly shot in his big toe. The other was a man who was allegedly wounded while breaking up a fight, according to police.

The district has had no reported homicides, two  shootings and one robbery between Jan. 1 and Feb. 2, according to police data.

Durell Law had just started going back to church the day before he was shot and killed. Police have not arrested his killer yet and family members urge people not to retaliate, but rather come forward with information about his death.

Read more about the funeral here. Share your memories about Durell in the comments section or email rscinto@nhregister.com

NEW HAVEN >> The parents of 19-month-old Athiyan Sivakumar were charged Thursday in connection with the toddler’s death, police said.

Read more here.

Durell Patrick Law

Durell Patrick Law, 20, was shot and killed Jan. 20 on Eastern Street. His killer is still being sought by police.

Law was recalled as an active sportsman in high school. Read whole obituary here. 

Kinjal Patel

NEW HAVEN >> A babysitter charged with manslaughter after a 19-month-old she was caring for died of blunt force trauma allegedly changed her story multiple times as police investigated the toddler’s death, documents show.

Read more at the New Haven Register.

Devaante Jackson's family has organized two fundraisers to help pay for funeral costs. The family is accepting donations and will also be selling items like pins and shirts in remembrance of him.

Jackson was shot and killed August 15 in the Hill.

The first fundraiser is Thursday August 22 at Deja Vu's Bar and Restaurant at 50 Fitch Street. The fundraiser starts at 5 p.m.

The other fundraiser will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Roberto Clemente Leadership Academy at 360 Columbus Ave on Saturday August 24.

This is the most recent update to New Haven's most wanted board. Information and photos are courtesy of the New Haven Police Department. None of these individuals are wanted for homicides, but some are wanted for violent crimes.

Shaun Myers, who is accused of killing Qusaan "QB" McKoy, now has several more charges against him that stem from a police foot chase where he allegedly pointed a gun at police.

Additional charges include five more felonies and three misdemeanors. Felonies include  criminal possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, illegal alteration of firearm identification  and two counts of burglary in the third-degree.

Myers faces a total of 11 felony counts.

Many are contemplating how shootings are down by nearly half this year compared to the same time period last year, but homicides are up.

Last year, there were two homicides in March, none in April and then four in May. This year there were two in January (back to back days), then a quiet period until the end of March, which kicked-off three homicides within eight days.

Qusaan McKoy was shot Monday night and died early Tuesday morning. He was shot several times, including at least once in the head.

Why do you think the homicide to shooting ratio has increased this year compared to the same time period last year? Comment below.

Police arrested a city man Thursday in connection with the killing of Asdrubal Bernier Jr., the city’s fourth homicide in 2013. It took detectives only 8 days to arrest Jimmy Morales-Luciano. Read more here.

Jimmy Morales-Luciano arrested for homicide

Victim family members and police gather at press conference about arrest.