On the night of February 11, 2019, a 19-year-old Black/African American male named Dyshon Williams was shot and killed in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The incident unfolded near the Luis Munoz Marin School after what police described as a "transaction gone bad." Williams had arranged to meet an acquaintance, 19-year-old Darrick Tunstall, in the school's parking lot around 10:30 p.m.
to sell him two ounces of marijuana.
When Williams arrived with a witness, the planned transaction took a violent turn. Tunstall and another man, 20-year-old Vaughn Thomas Jr., allegedly attempted to rob Williams of the marijuana. During the attempted robbery, Williams was fatally shot. Police were first alerted to the scene by a ShotSpotter report of shots fired near the school at approximately 10:45 p.m. Upon arrival, they discovered Williams' unoccupied car with blood inside. A more extensive search of the area led to the discovery of Williams' body on a sidewalk on Boston Avenue, about two hours after the initial shots were reported. He had sustained a gunshot wound to the torso that penetrated his neck and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into Williams' death was aided by surveillance footage from the area. In May 2019, authorities arrested Darrick Tunstall and Vaughn Thomas Jr. in connection with the homicide. Tunstall was charged with felony murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery, and first-degree robbery. Thomas faced the same charges, in addition to carrying a pistol without a permit and illegal discharge of a firearm. Both men were held on a $1 million bond.
In a later development, while in custody, Vaughn Thomas Jr. faced additional federal charges for attempting to have a witness in the case killed. In January 2024, both Thomas and Tunstall pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter with a firearm, first-degree robbery, conspiracy, and possession of a pistol without a permit. A superior court judge sentenced each of them to 20 years in prison for their roles in the death of Dyshon Williams.
