On a Wednesday afternoon, March 16, 2022, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Thomas Asbury, a 22-year-old Black male, was in the rear parking lot of an apartment building on East Main Street. Friends and acquaintances were gathered when police received a report of a person shot around 5:20 p.m. Upon arrival, officers found Asbury on the ground next to a vehicle, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his torso.
He was rushed to Bridgeport Hospital in critical condition.
For nearly two months, Asbury fought for his life. His family remained by his side as he endured the severe complications from his injuries. A blood clot had formed around his heart, and just as he was being prepared for surgery to remove it, he went into cardiac arrest. The damage to his vital organs was too extensive to overcome, and he passed away in the hospital on May 6, 2022. Before he died, however, he was able to communicate to his brother from his hospital bed, identifying the person who shot him as "Lil Zay."
The investigation into the shooting was taken over by the Bridgeport Police Department's Homicide Squad. Led by Detective Thomas Harper, investigators began piecing together the events of that day using surveillance footage and witness statements. According to police, Asbury was friends with Azaya "Lil Zay" Stefurak, and the two often spent time together on the city's East Side. Witnesses told detectives that Asbury was talking to Stefurak through the open driver's side window of Stefurak's maroon sedan. Stefurak reportedly stated, "something doesn't feel right," before pulling out a handgun and shooting Asbury. Surveillance video captured a maroon sedan, later traced to Stefurak, fleeing the scene after the gunshots.
On March 22, 2023, almost a year after the shooting, the U.S. Marshal's Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force arrested 21-year-old Azaya Stefurak. He was charged with murder, carrying a pistol without a permit, and illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle. Stefurak initially denied shooting Asbury but police found gunshot residue on the driver's side armrest of his car. He was held on a $1 million bond. Ultimately, Stefurak pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. During the sentencing, an emotional Stefurak apologized to Asbury's family, stating he had not known his friend was the father of a young daughter.
