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The break-in happened before sunrise at Sportsmen's Outpost in Wolcott on April 18. Police say the suspects used a stolen Hyundai to plow through the storefront and grab nine handguns before speeding off in a stolen Kia.
Surveillance video caught three masked suspects inside the store. Just before the burglary, the same group broke into a nearby empty building on Wolcott Road that had once been a gun store.
The case quickly gained the attention of federal agents. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), along with several local departments and the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office, joined Wolcott detectives in the hunt for the stolen guns.
Investigators soon tracked the case to Bristol. A 16-year-old there showed up at a hospital with a gunshot wound to the hand and told police he’d been accidentally shot. Around the same time, Bristol officers found the getaway car — the stolen Kia — dumped in a Bristol lake with a handgun inside. That gun had its serial number scratched off, Bristol police said.
One of the stolen weapons was also recovered from a nearby river with help from the Connecticut State Police Dive Team.
“Through this intense investigation we were able to positively identify the 3 suspects who burglarized Sportsmen's Outpost and stole the 9 weapons,” Wolcott Police said. Two of the teens were later arrested in Bristol, and a third turned out to be the teen who was shot.
Detectives say the group planned to sell the weapons illegally. All three face serious charges, including burglary, firearm theft, larceny, and carrying pistols without permits.
Police recovered eight of the nine stolen guns. Adults who allegedly helped the teens after the crime — including hiding evidence — were also arrested in Bristol.
The teens face a litany of charges following the break-in.
Bristol police also arrested:
- Alvin Martinez, 45, of Bristol, is charged with illegal transfer of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, tampering with evidence, and driving with a suspended license.
- Shane Erdmann, 20, of Bristol, is charged with illegal transfer of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, tampering with evidence, and improper storage of a firearm.
- Makiah Henry, 18, of Bristol, is charged with illegal transfer of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit and tampering with evidence.
- Jessica Henry, 36, of Bristol, is charged with tampering with evidence.
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