On a hot summer afternoon in New Haven, Connecticut, on July 3, 2013, 23-year-old Brian Gibson, a Black male, was shot and killed. The incident occurred shortly before 12:30 p.m. on South Genesee Street in the McConaughy Terrace public housing complex. Witnesses reported seeing a man chasing Gibson and shooting at him. Gibson was rushed to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The area was quickly cordoned off by police, who began combing the street and a nearby grassy field for evidence.
The investigation into Gibson's death quickly pointed to a suspect. Jahmal Fulcher, a 19-year-old from the area, was identified by detectives early in the investigation. The motive for the shooting was believed to be a disagreement between the two men, with some sources alleging it was over a stolen gun. Despite denying his involvement and providing conflicting statements about his whereabouts on the day of the shooting, cell phone data placed Fulcher near the scene of the crime. Eyewitnesses also reported seeing Fulcher chasing Gibson with a handgun.
In November 2013, Jahmal Fulcher was arrested and charged with the murder of Brian Gibson. The arrest brought a sense of justice to Gibson's grieving family, who remembered him as a big part of their family with a smile. As his trial approached, Fulcher accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to first-degree manslaughter with a firearm. In May 2016, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. During the sentencing, Fulcher claimed he was innocent and had been forced to take the plea deal, a claim that was denied by the court. Police also believed Gibson's murder was related to another fatal shooting that occurred later the same day, which claimed the life of 19-year-old Errol Marshall.
