On the evening of April 12, 2023, Michael Gaines, a 58-year-old Black / African American male, was fatally shot in what police have described as a targeted killing. Just before 9 p.m., officers were called to the corner of East Main and Arctic streets in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where they found Gaines unresponsive in front of Shorty's Deli. He had sustained a gunshot wound to the head and was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the death
of the well-known community member led authorities to 23-year-old Nelson Perez. Security footage from the scene reportedly captured the incident, showing a suspect walking directly up to Gaines, who was seated, and shooting him once in the head without any apparent provocation. Police deemed the shooting an isolated incident, with Gaines being the intended target. Evidence collected at the scene included a shell casing that was later matched to another casing found in Perez's safe.
On June 1, 2023, members of the Bridgeport Police Department's Homicide Squad, with assistance from the Connecticut State Police Violent Crime Task Force, arrested Nelson Perez. He was charged with murder, criminal possession of a firearm, and illegal discharge of a firearm, with his bond set at $2 million. At the time of the incident, Perez was on probation for two prior gun possession convictions from 2020. During questioning, Perez admitted to being present at the scene of the crime but claimed he did not hear anything. While an arrest has been made, a motive for the shooting has not been released.
