On the evening of December 23, 2023, a Hispanic male named Christian Michael Lopez, 32, was shot and killed in Hartford, Connecticut. The events leading to his death began with a dispute over a stolen firearm. Lopez had reportedly taken a gun from the girlfriend of a New Britain man, Joshua Duprey. According to a witness, Lopez, who was desperate for drugs, had devised a plan to steal the weapon, intending to sell it for drugs and money.
In the hours leading up to the fatal encounter, Duprey sent threatening messages to Lopez, including "I'll kill you. Come clean right now," and "you know your dead right."
Just after 8:30 p.m., police responded to a report of a person shot at an apartment building on Franklin Avenue. Surveillance footage from a rear parking lot showed Duprey arriving in his Ford F-150 pickup truck and going up a rear staircase. An argument was heard, and then two individuals, one later identified as Lopez, ran down the stairs. Lopez attempted to get into the driver's side of Duprey's truck when a third person, identified as Duprey, emerged from the stairwell and approached the vehicle. Another argument ensued, followed by the sound of two gunshots and a visible muzzle flash. Lopez screamed in pain as the shooter got into the truck and fled the scene.
First responders found Lopez suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital where he underwent emergency surgery but ultimately succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. The Hartford Police Major Crimes and Crime Scene Divisions immediately began a homicide investigation.
Through surveillance video and license plate readers, investigators identified the pickup truck as registered to Joshua Duprey. Ten days after the shooting, Duprey, accompanied by his lawyer, denied any involvement in the killing. However, the investigation continued, and on March 11, 2024, members of the U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force and the Hartford Police Violent Crime Unit located and arrested the 35-year-old Duprey in New Britain. He was charged with murder and criminal possession of a firearm. After his bond was set at $500,000, Duprey posted the required amount and was released. He later waived his right to a preliminary hearing and entered a not guilty plea to the charges.
