In the early morning hours of September 9, 2021, the life of 19-year-old Black female Candace Goodwin was tragically cut short in a Bridgeport, Connecticut home. Police were dispatched to a residence on Platt Street around 1:24 a.m. for a welfare check after a 911 call was made. Upon their arrival, officers were met with gunfire from within the house, initiating a tense standoff that would last for more than two hours.
The gunman, later identified as 25-year-old Tarik Francis, Goodwin's
boyfriend, eventually surrendered to the authorities. Once inside the home, police discovered a grim scene. Candace Goodwin and a second individual, 59-year-old Austin Burgher, a friend of Francis's father, were found dead from gunshot wounds. Investigators quickly determined the incident was isolated, believing the victims knew their assailant.
Tarik Francis was taken into custody and subsequently charged with two counts of murder, attempted murder, and attempted first-degree assault, with his bond set at $5 million. The case proceeded to trial, where Francis, then 29, faced the possibility of life in prison without the chance of parole. He had previously rejected a plea deal that would have resulted in a 50-year prison sentence.
In October 2025, a Superior Court jury found Tarik Francis guilty of two counts of murder and murder with special circumstances for having killed two or more people at the same time. He was also convicted of criminal possession of a firearm. The jury, however, found him not guilty of the attempted murder of a police officer who had responded to the scene. The conviction brought a close to the legal chapter of a violent episode that ended two lives.
