Jordan Phipps was a 24-year-old Black man from Bloomfield, Connecticut, and a father to a one-year-old son. Known to his loved ones as “Two-Three,” a nickname inspired by his idol Michael Jordan, his life was cut short in the summer of 2023. Family and friends later gathered to mourn him, remembering a young man who was part of their community, described by a local advocate as "one of us."
In the early morning hours of August 6, 2023, just after midnight, the sound of gunfire erupted
outside a Sunoco gas station on Wethersfield Avenue in Hartford. Police responded to a ShotSpotter alert for 12 rounds fired and found Jordan Phipps on the ground near spent bullet casings. He had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, including one to the head, and was pronounced dead at the scene. A second man, age 29, was also shot multiple times but survived his non-life-threatening injuries after arriving at Hartford Hospital.
The investigation moved swiftly. The surviving victim identified the shooter as Chan Williams-Bey. This account was corroborated by surveillance footage from the gas station, which showed Williams-Bey arriving in a red Dodge Charger, exiting his vehicle, and approaching Phipps and the other man as they sat next to the convenience store. After a brief discussion, Williams-Bey pulled out a gun, shot both men, and fled in his car. A detective recognized Williams-Bey from previous investigations, and police arrested him less than 12 hours after the shooting.
The arrest brought to light that Williams-Bey, then 27, was free on more than $800,000 in bonds for at least eight other pending criminal cases at the time of the shooting. He was supposed to be on a court-ordered 24/7 lockdown, monitored by an ankle bracelet. The incident sparked anger from community leaders and the mayor of Hartford, who questioned why a person with such an extensive criminal history was not in jail. Following his arraignment on charges of murder and assault, a judge set his bond at $5 million.
The case proceeded to trial, and on December 15, 2025, a Hartford Superior Court jury convicted Chan Williams-Bey of first-degree manslaughter with a firearm, first-degree assault, and first-degree violation of conditions of release. On February 17, 2026, Williams-Bey was sentenced to 51 years in prison for the shooting. As of that month, the case was closed.
