In the early hours of a Saturday morning, the life of Jayson Bruno-Matos, a 42-year-old mixed-race male, was tragically cut short. On August 23, 2025, at approximately 2 a.m., multiple 911 calls reported the sound of gunfire in the vicinity of 174 Arch Street in New Britain, Connecticut. Responding officers discovered Bruno-Matos at the scene, suffering from several gunshot wounds. He was a Bristol resident and the owner and operator of Creative Cutz Barbers Lounge.
Emergency medical services rushed him to a local hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the shooting revealed that it stemmed from a disturbance outside a bar called Room with a Cue. According to witness accounts and evidence gathered by the New Britain police, the altercation was fueled by jealousy over a woman with whom both Bruno-Matos and another man, Joel Sanchez, were acquainted. Tensions between the two men had reportedly been escalating, culminating in a fatal confrontation after the bar had closed for the night.
Following an intensive investigation, detectives from the New Britain and Meriden police departments apprehended 28-year-old Joel Sanchez in Meriden on September 12, 2025. Sanchez was charged with murder, criminal possession of a firearm, and illegal discharge of a firearm in connection with the death of Jayson Bruno-Matos. He is being held on a $3 million bond. The arrest warrant details that the argument between Sanchez and Bruno-Matos was over their mutual romantic interest in the same woman and that Bruno-Matos had expressed his intent to confront Sanchez that night. The community mourned the loss of Bruno-Matos, with many taking to social media to share tributes and memorial posts.
