In the quiet hours before dusk on January 9, 2025, a fatal encounter unfolded on Hewitt Street in Bridgeport, Connecticut, leaving 48-year-old Derrick Martin, a Black male, dead from gunshot wounds. Just fifteen minutes before the shooting, Martin had texted his landlord, expressing growing concern about his 20-year-old roommate, Dante French. The messages painted a grim picture of escalating tensions, with Martin describing French as "bugging," punching walls, slamming doors, and unnervingly
walking around their shared apartment with a knife.
The simmering conflict between the two men, who had been living together since the previous September, reached its tragic climax around 5 p.m. An altercation that began inside their multifamily home spilled out onto the front porch. There, French allegedly shot Martin three times in the torso before fleeing the scene. A neighbor who witnessed the event told police that French shot Martin without a word being exchanged between them. Responding to a 911 call, police discovered Martin bleeding on the porch. He was rushed to Bridgeport Hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Dante French voluntarily surrendered to the Bridgeport police. He was subsequently arrested and charged with murder, carrying a pistol without a permit, and criminal violation of a protective order. Investigators found the apartment in disarray, with broken bedroom doors, corroborating the volatile environment Martin had described. Text messages provided by the landlord revealed that both men had complained about each other on the day of the shooting. French, who had moved to Connecticut from the Bronx to "get away from trouble," was reportedly the landlord's nephew. His attorney later stated that French took responsibility for his actions. The case is now moving through the court system, where French is being held on a $1.75 million bond.
