52°
Tythrone Ford, age 28, of New Haven, was sentenced on Tuesday, March 15 for the April 2015 incident, said Leonard C Boyle, US Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
According to court documents and statements made in court, at approximately 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 11, 2015, Ford, Treizy Lopez, and another man entered the Smokin’ Wings restaurant, located on Congress Avenue in New Haven, and demanded money at gunpoint.
Lopez discharged a firearm and shot a female employee in the stomach. Ford, Lopez, and their associate then fled the restaurant, court documents show.
Responding New Haven Police officers located a .22 caliber revolver in a nearby trash can.
Approximately eight hours before the Smokin’ Wings robbery, Ford, Lopez, and another man traveled together to Bridgeport. Lopez and the other individual, armed with handguns, entered Sapiaos Market, located on Lexington Avenue in Bridgeport, and demanded money, court documents show.
During the attempted robbery, the owner of the market, Jose Salgado, was shot and killed. Ford waited in a car outside of the market during the attempted robbery, officials said.
After the murder, the three men traveled back to New Haven together. Hours later, Ford and Lopez participated in the gunpoint robbery at Smokin’ Wings.
Forensic analysis of the revolver found in the trash can in New Haven, and projectiles collected from the scene of both attempted robberies revealed that the gun was used in both shootings, court documents stated.
DNA collected from the gun revealed that both Lopez and Ford possessed the gun, officials said.
Ford has been detained since his arrest in December 2019. In September 2021, he pleaded guilty to one count of attempted interference with commerce by robbery.
Lopez pleaded guilty to the same charge and awaits sentencing.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Hartford and receive free news updates.
