BRIDGEPORT, CT – Dijon Champagnie, 24, of Bridgeport, is headed to federal prison for over a decade after a brazen drug robbery escalated into a violent shooting spree in West Haven. U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill handed down a 132-month sentence – eleven years – followed by three years of supervised release, on Tuesday, November 14th, bringing a measure of closure to a case steeped in street-level brutality.
The crime unfolded on July 1, 2019. Court documents reveal Champagnie arranged to purchase a half-pound of marijuana from an individual in West Haven. But the deal wasn’t about a simple exchange. Upon arrival at the seller’s residence, Champagnie brandished a firearm, pressing it against the victim’s face and demanding the entire supply of marijuana. After receiving the drugs, Champagnie didn’t just leave; he shot the victim in the leg, inflicting significant injuries. The brazen act didn’t end there.
Adding insult to injury – and evidence to the prosecution’s case – Champagnie took to Snapchat in the days following the shooting. He flaunted his criminal activity, posting videos of himself firing a gun into the air, pointing a handgun equipped with an extended magazine directly at the camera, and displaying a bag of marijuana that authorities believe was the stolen product. His digital boasting continued with threatening text messages directed at the victim’s neighbor, a man who recognized Champagnie.
The neighbor became a target. In the early hours of July 7, 2019, Champagnie fired four shots into the neighbor’s apartment, a clear attempt to intimidate and silence a potential witness. Thankfully, no one inside was injured by the volley of gunfire. This escalation of violence solidified the gravity of Champagnie’s actions and painted a picture of a dangerous individual willing to use force to protect his illicit activities.
Champagnie has been detained since his arrest on related state charges on July 20, 2019. He eventually pleaded guilty on August 18, 2023, to federal charges of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance. The case was a collaborative effort, spearheaded by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), alongside the West Haven, New Haven, and Hartford Police Departments.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel M. Krull prosecuted the case. U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery acknowledged the cooperation of the Ansonia-Milford State Attorney’s Office, highlighting the importance of interagency collaboration in dismantling criminal networks and bringing perpetrators like Dijon Champagnie to justice. The eleven-year sentence sends a clear message: armed drug robberies and retaliatory shootings will not be tolerated in Connecticut.
Related Federal Cases
- Jason Prawl, Sex Trafficking of Minors, Bridgeport CT, 2023 · Connecticut
- Erick Delgado, Heroin Distribution, Bridgeport CT, 2023 · Connecticut
- Paul Scovronski, Armed Bank Robbery, Maryland 2016 · Ohio
- Matthew Dragoone, Bank Robbery Spree, CT 2015 · Connecticut
- Vaughn Matthews, Drug Trafficking and Gun Possession, FL 2023 · Florida
Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Weapons|Violent Crime|Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Press Release
Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News