Eric D. Cox, 43, of Southington, was sentenced on April 2 to 29 months in prison and two years of supervised release for firearm and narcotics offenses related to a shooting that took place in Hartford in 2020. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven, according to David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
The case centers on an incident from September 4, 2020, when Cox became involved in a violent altercation near Hartford Hospital. During the confrontation, Cox was slashed with a knife before pulling out a gun and firing multiple shots at his assailant and others nearby. This resulted in a bystander being shot several times.
Hartford Police responded to the scene on Jefferson Street where they recovered several cartridge casings linked to the incident. A hospital employee also found a discarded .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol outside the emergency department entrance and notified law enforcement authorities. Police later searched Cox’s vehicle and discovered approximately 28 grams of cocaine inside a bag. Analysis confirmed that Cox’s DNA was present on the recovered firearm.
Cox has a prior federal conviction from 2008 for distributing crack cocaine. On November 21, 2025, he was found guilty by a jury of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon as well as possession of cocaine.
Cox is currently released on $100,000 bond but must report to prison on August 6. The other individual involved in the altercation has been prosecuted separately by the Hartford State’s Attorney’s Office.
The investigation into this matter involved cooperation between the Drug Enforcement Administration and Hartford Police Department with support from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as well as the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory.
