On the evening of December 16, 2021, a 23-year-old Black man named Clinton Tito Taylor was inside Sammy's Grocery & Dollar Store on Park Avenue in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was approximately 9:15 p.m. when the fatal encounter unfolded. Inside the store, Taylor was shot multiple times. When police officers responded to a call about the shooting, they found him deceased at the scene.
His death marked the 21st homicide in the city of Bridgeport that year.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Bridgeport police apprehended a suspect within minutes and just a block away from the crime scene. After a brief foot chase that resulted in the suspect breaking his leg, 31-year-old Luis Morales was taken into custody. Investigators also recovered a handgun near the location of the arrest, which they believe was the weapon used in the shooting.
The investigation was aided by security footage from the grocery store, which captured the entire incident. The video reportedly showed Morales shooting Taylor and then robbing him of money. Following his release from the hospital for the injury sustained during his capture, Luis Morales was charged with murder, felony murder, and first-degree robbery. Clinton Taylor was the grandson of a former Bridgeport city councilwoman, Denese Taylor-Moye. His funeral services were held on December 28, 2021, at the Cathedral of Praise in Bridgeport.
