On a cold February evening in 2015, the life of 28-year-old Jose Lebron was cut short on a street corner in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The male victim was found shot at the intersection of William and Ogden streets shortly after 6 p.m. on Friday, February 20. He was rushed to a local hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival, becoming the city's first homicide victim of the year.
At the scene, investigators discovered Lebron with a BB gun in his right hand and money in his left.
Police also found drugs and several cell phones in his possession and inside his nearby car. The investigation into the shooting was active from the start, with police collecting evidence and interviewing potential witnesses. A weapon was recovered at the scene. In the days following his death, a memorial of candles and messages grew at the site of the shooting as friends and family mourned the father of three young boys. Those who knew him remembered him as a respectful and quiet person who was studying at the Porter and Chester Institute in Stratford to build a better future for his family.
The investigation quickly led to a suspect. Detectives determined that Lebron had arranged to meet 37-year-old Karim Skipworth at the intersection that night with the intention of robbing him. During the encounter, after Lebron had allegedly robbed Skipworth of money and a cell phone, Skipworth fired at Lebron as he fled, fatally wounding him. One of the cell phones found in Lebron's possession belonged to Skipworth.
Less than a month after the shooting, on March 7, 2015, Karim Skipworth surrendered to police. He was charged with murder, carrying a pistol without a permit, and criminal possession of a firearm. In March 2018, Skipworth, also known as "Phatz," pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter with a firearm and possession of a pistol without a permit. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the killing. During the sentencing, the judge acknowledged that the exact circumstances of the event remained somewhat unclear but highlighted the evident pain of Lebron's family.
