A federal jury in New Haven has convicted Eric D. Cox, 42, of Southington, on firearm and narcotics charges related to a 2020 shooting incident in Hartford. The announcement was made by David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Evidence presented at trial showed that on September 4, 2020, Cox was involved in a violent altercation near Hartford Hospital. During the confrontation, Cox was slashed with a knife and responded by firing multiple shots at his assailant and others nearby. A bystander was struck several times by gunfire. Police responding to the scene found cartridge casings on Jefferson Street where the incident took place. A hospital employee later discovered a discarded .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol outside the emergency department entrance and notified law enforcement. Authorities also searched Cox’s vehicle and found about 28 grams of cocaine. Forensic analysis linked Cox’s DNA to the recovered firearm.
Cox has a prior federal conviction from 2008 for distributing crack cocaine, for which he served five years in prison.
The jury convicted Cox of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries up to ten years in prison, and possession of cocaine, which carries up to two years.
Cox is currently free on a $100,000 bond while awaiting sentencing; no date has been set.
The Hartford State’s Attorney’s Office prosecuted the other individual involved in the altercation.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Hartford Police Department with support from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert S. Dearington and Mary G. Vitale are prosecuting the case.
