In the early morning hours of June 24, 2019, the life of 40-year-old Anthony McKinstry was tragically cut short on a driveway on Bishop Avenue in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Originally from Stamford, McKinstry had been living in North Carolina and was back in his home state visiting a friend. The night before, he had been out at a club with two friends before they drove to the Bishop Avenue residence.
McKinstry had gotten out of the car to purchase frozen alcoholic drinks, colloquially
known as "Nutcrackers." While waiting in the backyard for the drinks to be prepared, he was joined by another man. A witness reported hearing a single gunshot and then saw the man running away from the scene. When police arrived, they found McKinstry in the driveway, having suffered a fatal gunshot wound to his head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
An extensive investigation led by Bridgeport Police Detective Jorge Cintron pointed to 35-year-old Eugene Brown as the primary suspect. A witness identified Brown as the man she saw with McKinstry just before the fatal shot was fired. Further evidence came from surveillance footage in the area, which captured a man with a distinct limp, similar to Brown's, fleeing the scene of the crime. Police learned that Brown had been shot in the legs the previous year, causing him to walk with a limp. Another witness told investigators that Brown had asked her to drive him by the scene of the shooting later that day to observe the police activity.
On September 17, 2019, Eugene Brown was arrested and charged with murder, use of a firearm in a felony, criminal possession of a firearm, and carrying a pistol without a permit. He was held on a $1.5 million bond while awaiting trial. However, in January 2022, Brown died while in the custody of the Department of Correction. Following his death, the charges against him were dropped, leaving the case without a conviction.
