In the late hours of a Friday night in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the life of Robert Dwayne Belton Jr., a 38-year-old Black / African American male, was tragically cut short. On March 27, 2020, shortly after 11 p.m., the sound of multiple gunshots echoed in the vicinity of Wordin Avenue and Cherry Street. Belton was fatally wounded in the shooting. In the immediate aftermath, he was transported by a private vehicle to Bridgeport Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
His death marked the fourth homicide in the city that year.
Remembered by friends and family as a "basketball phenom" who dominated the courts, Belton was a lifelong resident of Bridgeport. He had attended local public schools and was working as a supervisor for Oakridge Waste and Recycling, a position he had held for the two years prior to his death. Described as a hardworking family man, he was a father to two daughters. The loss was deeply felt by his extensive family, which included his parents, ten siblings, and numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Months after his death, Belton's family continued to seek justice, gathering to install a headstone at his grave and publicly appealing for information. His sister expressed the family's pain, stating that her brother, an innocent bystander, was caught in the crossfire. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, with police having interviewed witnesses and processed the large crime scene on Wordin Avenue. As of late 2020, no arrests had been made, and no suspects had been publicly identified in connection with the fatal shooting. Authorities have urged anyone with information to come forward.
