Marc H. Silverman, the Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, has announced that Shaquil Gary, a 31-year-old resident of New Haven, was sentenced to 66 months in federal prison. The sentencing took place before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport and will be followed by three years of supervised release due to unlawful possession of a firearm while on federal supervised release.

Court documents reveal that Gary was previously sentenced in January 2016 to 96 months imprisonment with five years of supervised release for an armed robbery committed against an ATF informant in August 2014. Before his sentencing, Gary attempted to distribute a non-public case report with instructions for it to be posted on Facebook.

In April 2022, authorities identified a white SUV involved in shooting incidents in New Haven and Hamden. On April 19, investigators observed Gary exiting the SUV on Shelton Avenue. During a pursuit by officers, he discarded a firearm but was apprehended shortly after on Hazel Street. Officers recovered a loaded Glock model 17, which had been reported stolen from Waterbury in 2018.

Further analysis linked this firearm to multiple gang-related shootings while Gary was incarcerated. These included incidents near Eastern Street and Shelton Avenue in New Haven during early 2019.

Gary's criminal record includes state felony convictions related to narcotics sale and possession. Federal law prohibits individuals with felony convictions from possessing firearms or ammunition transported across state or national borders.

On September 4, 2024, Gary pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

The investigation into this matter was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), along with police departments from New Haven and Hamden. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Dearington prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative designed to reduce gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities nationwide.