Waterbury Gangster ‘Dirt’ Gets Life for Double Murder

BRIDGEPORT, CT – Malik Bayon, 29, known on the streets as “Pop” and “Dirt,” will spend the rest of his life behind bars. U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley sentenced Bayon today to life in prison, with a mandatory five-year consecutive term, for his role in the ruthless 960 gang operating in Waterbury, Connecticut. The sentence caps a years-long investigation into the gang’s reign of terror, marked by drug trafficking and brutal violence.

The announcement came jointly from United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, David X. Sullivan, Waterbury State’s Attorney Maureen T. Platt, FBI Special Agent in Charge P.J. O’Brien, ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Bryan DiGirolamo, and Waterbury Police Chief Fernando C. Spagnolo. The collaborative effort targeted the 960 gang, a group responsible for escalating crime in the city. A federal grand jury indictment in Hartford on September 14, 2021, charged Bayon and 15 other 960 members with a litany of offenses – racketeering, murder, attempted murder, assault, firearm possession, narcotics trafficking, and obstruction of justice.

Evidence presented at trial painted a chilling picture of Bayon’s involvement in multiple violent acts. On October 31, 2017, Bayon and other 960 members unleashed a drive-by shooting on Porter Street and Bank Street, aiming to eliminate rivals. One individual was wounded, and investigators recovered a staggering 17 shell casings from *four* different firearms at the scene. But the violence didn’t stop there. Less than a month later, on November 22, 2017, Bayon, along with Zaekwon McDaniel and Tahjay Love, opened fire on Clarence Lewis and Antonio Santos who were seated in a car at a Waterbury restaurant. The victims, attempting to escape, crashed into a house, both pronounced dead at the scene. Ballistics linked the weapons used in this double homicide to the earlier drive-by shooting.

The brutality continued on December 29, 2017, when Bayon, McDaniel, and Love targeted the father of a rival gang member, shooting him while he took out the trash. Adding insult to injury, 960 members filmed themselves, masked, at the scene just minutes before the attack. Beyond the bloodshed, the gang brazenly promoted their violent lifestyle through rap videos, glorifying gunplay, drug dealing, and the gang’s overall dominance. Lyrics frequently referenced the criminal acts committed by 960 members, serving as both a boast and a threat.

Bayon was already in custody when federal agents arrested him on September 16, 2021, attempting to flush fentanyl down a toilet. A subsequent search of his residence revealed a firearm, extended magazines, additional magazines, and ample ammunition. On February 14, 2024, a jury convicted Bayon, McDaniel, and Love of conspiracy to engage in racketeering, murder under the VCAR statute, and two counts of causing death through firearm use. McDaniel also faced convictions for attempted murder and assault, while Love was found guilty of obstruction of justice. Bayon additionally faced charges for conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl, and possession of a firearm during drug trafficking. McDaniel received a life sentence plus 10 years on September 9, 2025; Love awaits his sentencing date.

The investigation, spearheaded by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, the Waterbury Police Department, ATF, and U.S. Marshals Service, demonstrates a commitment to dismantling violent criminal organizations and bringing perpetrators to justice. This case serves as a stark warning: the streets of Waterbury – and beyond – will not be held hostage by gangs like the 960.