In the Fair Haven neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut, a dispute over money on a winter evening escalated into a fatal encounter for 40-year-old Hispanic male Alexander Pedraza. On the night of January 18, 2023, Pedraza was involved in a confrontation at the corner of River and James streets. The argument, believed to be with a man who owed him money, ended with the sound of gunfire.
Pedraza was shot, and though he managed to travel about a block, he was found down on Chapel Street near the James Street intersection around 8:30 p.m. Responding officers attempted CPR before he was rushed to Yale New Haven Hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The New Haven Police Department immediately began an investigation, viewing the shooting as a targeted incident and believing the suspect and victim knew each other. Investigators collected video evidence from the area that captured an "interpersonal conflict" between two individuals just before the shooting occurred. For nearly three months, detectives worked the case, interviewing people in the community and analyzing the evidence gathered. This police work, which included reviewing video footage, witness statements, and DNA evidence, eventually pointed to one suspect.
In April 2023, the investigation culminated in an arrest. Police secured an arrest warrant on April 10 for 50-year-old Leonardo Cantres of New Haven. Two days later, on April 12, Cantres was located and apprehended on the New Haven Green without incident. He was charged with murder, criminal possession of a firearm, and carrying a pistol without a permit. At a press conference, authorities confirmed that the deadly confrontation stemmed from a fight about money that Cantres allegedly owed to Pedraza. Pedraza's family, including his parents and his fiancée, Laura Cano, publicly thanked the investigators for their work in closing the case. Alexander Pedraza was also a father to two children who lived in Puerto Rico.
