On the night of July 3, 2022, in New Haven, Connecticut, 17-year-old John Tubac, a recent high school graduate with plans for college, was fatally shot. The male teenager was in his Ford pickup truck with a female passenger on Poplar Street when a man, later identified as 26-year-old Kiyon Matheney, accused him of racing through the neighborhood. An argument broke out between the two.
During the heated exchange, Tubac retrieved a BB gun and placed it on the dashboard of his truck.
The confrontation quickly escalated, leading Matheney to draw his own firearm. He fired multiple shots at close range, striking Tubac. One of the bullets hit the teenager in the eye. Emergency services were called, and an ambulance rushed Tubac to Yale New Haven Hospital where he was listed in critical condition. Despite the efforts of medical staff, John Tubac succumbed to his life-threatening injuries four days later on July 7, 2022. His death was the city's sixth homicide of the year.
Following an investigation that involved witness statements and surveillance footage, New Haven police identified Kiyon Matheney as the shooter. He was arrested on October 19, 2022, and faced charges of murder, criminal possession of a firearm, and carrying a pistol without a permit. In October 2023, a jury found Matheney guilty of first-degree intentional manslaughter with a firearm, as well as the firearm possession charges. On December 12, 2023, Kiyon Matheney was sentenced to 33 years in prison for the killing of John Tubac. During the sentencing, Tubac's family, teachers, and instructors addressed the court, speaking of their profound grief and the impact of his loss on the community.
