In the early moments of August 8, 2021, a verbal dispute at the intersection of Goodrich and Butler streets in Hamden, Connecticut, escalated into fatal violence. Shortly after midnight, 27-year-old Tyishoun Matheney, a male resident of New Haven, was shot and killed. Police arriving at the scene found Matheney in the street with multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to Yale New Haven Hospital, where he was pronounced dead several hours later.
The investigation revealed that the incident began with a heated argument. Matheney was shot in the back, and then shot several more times after he had fallen to the ground.
The subsequent investigation, a collaborative effort involving the Hamden and New Haven police departments, the Department of Correction, and the FBI, spanned over a year and a half. This extensive inquiry led to the identification of two individuals involved in the incident. One of these men was Brian Ward, who was present with Matheney during the altercation. Detectives determined that after Matheney was shot, Ward fired a handgun at the shooter. In September 2022, police arrested Ward, then 30, charging him with offenses including criminal attempt to commit first-degree assault and illegal discharge of a firearm. Ward later accepted a plea deal and, in November 2023, was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the exchange of gunfire.
The investigation into Matheney's death continued, culminating on March 1, 2023, with the arrest of the primary suspect. Ryan Moore, a 35-year-old from New Haven, was charged with murder, criminal possession of a firearm, and carrying a pistol without a permit. At the time Hamden police charged him in connection with Matheney's death, Moore was already in the custody of the Department of Corrections on unrelated charges. A court set his bond at $2.5 million.
