On a warm summer evening, what began as a joyous family celebration ended in a devastating and senseless act of violence that claimed the life of 39-year-old Jawara Stennett, a Black male from New York. On August 2, 2020, Stennett was in West Haven, Connecticut, to celebrate his father's 60th birthday. As the celebration wound down, Stennett, along with his father and two brothers, began the journey back to New York.
Their vehicle was on the Campbell Avenue on-ramp to Interstate 95 south
when another vehicle, described as a white SUV, pulled alongside them. Several shots were fired into the passenger side of the Stennetts' car. Jawara, who was in the front passenger seat, was struck by a gunshot to his right torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The other occupants of the vehicle were unharmed.
The investigation into Stennett's death continued for years. Initially, state police investigated numerous leads but had not identified a suspect or a motive, though they did note that reports of the attack being racially motivated were unsubstantiated. The case eventually went cold. In an effort to generate new leads, authorities announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.
A breakthrough in the investigation came when police identified a suspect, Troy Lopes, a 44-year-old former Stratford resident. Investigators utilized surveillance video, cellphone data, car rental records, and social media to connect Lopes to the crime. According to court documents, Lopes's nephew had been killed at a nearby gas station two weeks prior to Stennett's death. Surveillance footage showed Lopes at a makeshift memorial for his nephew at the gas station just minutes before the shooting when the Stennett family had stopped there. In November, Troy Lopes was charged with murder, three counts of attempted first-degree assault, and criminal possession of a firearm in connection with Jawara Stennett's death. At the time of his arrest for the murder, Lopes was already incarcerated for a home invasion that occurred a month after the shooting.
