Tythrone Ford, Attempted Interference with Commerce by Robbery, Connecticut 2015

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Table of Contents

New Haven Restaurant Employee Shot in Attempted Robbery

A chilling crime took place in New Haven in April 2015, leaving a restaurant employee shot and a community shaken. TYTHRONE FORD, 27, of New Haven, has admitted to his role in the attempted robbery.

According to court documents, at approximately 11:00 p.m. on April 11, 2015, FORD and two other men entered the Smokin’ Wings restaurant, located on Congress Avenue in New Haven, and demanded money at gunpoint. One of FORD’s associates subsequently discharged a firearm and shot a female employee in the stomach. FORD and his associates then fled the restaurant.

Responding New Haven Police officers subsequently located a .22 caliber revolver in a nearby trash can. Forensic analysis of the revolver found in the trash can, and projectiles collected from the scene of both attempted robberies, revealed that the gun was used in both shootings. DNA collected from the gun revealed that both FORD and one of his associates possessed the gun.

This was not an isolated incident. Approximately eight hours prior to the Smokin’ Wings robbery, two of FORD’s associates, armed with handguns, entered Sapiaos Market, located on Lexington Avenue in Bridgeport, and demanded money. During the attempted robbery, the owner of the market, Jose Salgado, was shot and killed. At the time, FORD was waiting in a car outside of the market.

FORD pleaded guilty to one count of attempted interference with commerce by robbery, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. Judge Meyer scheduled sentencing for December 14, 2021. FORD has been detained since his arrest on December 10, 2019.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the New Haven Police Department, with the assistance of the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter D. Markle, Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis, and Nathaniel J. Gentile through the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program and Project Longevity.

PSN and Project Longevity are comprehensive initiatives aimed at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. Project Longevity focuses on reducing gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities by engaging with community members and law enforcement to deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence, and an offer of help for those who want it.