On the night of May 2, 2017, Kyree Kennedy, a 22-year-old Black/African American male, was found unresponsive in the driver's seat of a silver car that had come to a stop in the middle of Read Street in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was approximately 11:30 p.m. when police, responding to reports of gunfire, discovered Kennedy suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
In the immediate aftermath, police observed several people running from the area, though it was initially unclear if they were connected to the shooting. Grieving family and friends gathered at the scene the following morning as investigators processed the evidence.
The investigation into Kennedy's death, which marked the city's 10th homicide of the year, soon revealed a tragic and ironic turn of events. Authorities determined that Kennedy was not the intended victim of a rival but was instead killed by his own friend during a planned act of violence. The suspect was identified as Terrell Evans, 22, of Stratford, who had been in the passenger seat of the vehicle with Kennedy. The two men had reportedly driven to Read Street to shoot at a car belonging to someone with whom Kennedy had an ongoing dispute.
According to the police investigation, Evans began firing from the front passenger seat, shooting across Kennedy and out the driver's side window at their intended target. Tragically, as Kennedy turned his head, one of the shots fired by Evans struck him in the back of the head. Evans was later apprehended on June 9, 2017, and charged with first-degree manslaughter and several weapons offenses. In March 2019, Terrell "Big Baby" Evans pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, carrying a pistol without a permit, criminal possession of a firearm, and violation of probation. He was subsequently sentenced to a term of 25 years in prison, suspended after serving 15 years, to be followed by five years of probation. The court proceedings were marked by tension and emotion, with a physical altercation breaking out between the families of the former friends during Evans' sentencing.
