On a summer evening in Danbury, Connecticut, a gathering of mourners turned into a scene of tragedy, forever altering the lives of one family. Raymond Irvin Simmons, a 39-year-old Black / African American man from Waterbury, was shot and killed on July 12, 2020. Simmons, a husband and father, was attending an outdoor vigil for a friend who had recently passed away when the fatal encounter occurred.
Police responded to reports of a shooting near Beaver and Elm streets at approximately
10:35 p.m. Upon arrival, they discovered Simmons with multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Danbury Hospital but was pronounced dead. An autopsy later confirmed that Simmons had been shot in the head, neck, torso, and extremities. Investigators stated that the shooting was not a random act of violence and that the public was not in any danger.
The investigation into Simmons' death led police to a suspect, Bryan Dorin Howell, then 42, of Thompson. Authorities determined that the shooting was the result of a dispute between Howell and Simmons that escalated into a physical confrontation and ended with Howell fatally shooting Simmons before fleeing the scene on foot. Despite the reluctance of some witnesses to cooperate, investigators were able to identify Howell as the shooter. Seventeen days after the shooting, Howell was taken into custody.
Howell was initially charged with murder, first-degree assault, and several other firearms-related offenses, to which he pleaded not guilty. Ultimately, he accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and criminal possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with the sentence suspended after 15 years, followed by five years of probation. During the sentencing, Simmons' family expressed their profound grief, remembering him as a loving father, husband, and son whose presence brightened the lives of those around him. His wife conveyed that she did not feel the 15-year sentence was sufficient justice for the man who had taken her husband's life.
