A man has been sentenced to 51 years in prison for shooting two people, killing one of them, outside a gas station in Hartford in 2023 while he was free on bond in multiple pending cases and on court-ordered 24/7 lockdown.
Chan Williams-Bey, 30, of Hartford received the sentence on Tuesday in Hartford Superior Court in connection with the fatal shooting of 24-year-old Jordan Phipps of Bloomfield on Aug. 6, 2023, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice.
The sentencing came following a trial in December that ended with a jury finding Williams-Bey guilty of first-degree manslaughter with a firearm, first-degree assault and first-degree violation of conditions of release.
According to DCJ officials, Hartford police officers responded to the Sunoco Gas Station on Wethersfield Avenue just after midnight after ShotSpotter detected 12 rounds of gunfire and multiple people called 911 to report that someone had been shot. Police found Phipps on the ground next to spent bullet casings with a gunshot wound to his head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. According to Courant reports, Phipps left behind a 1-year-old son.
A second victim, identified as a 29-year-old man, arrived at a nearby hospital a few minutes later with multiple gunshot wounds, according to the arrest warrant affidavit charging Williams-Bey. He was later able to identify Williams-Bey as the shooter through a photo array, police wrote in the warrant affidavit.
Investigators also found video surveillance of the shooting. The video showed Williams-Bey arriving at the gas station in a red Dodge Charger before he got out of the car and approached Phipps and the other man, who were sitting next to the convenience store, according to Courant reports.
According to the video, Williams-Bey then pulled a gun out and shot both men, the warrant affidavit said. He could be seen running out of view of the camera before getting back into the Charger and taking off, Courant reports state.
A detective investigating the shooting reportedly said he “immediately recognized” Williams-Bey from other investigations, according to the warrant affidavit. Police also used Department of Correction records and compared them to tattoos seen on the arm of the shooter in the video, which led to a quick arrest.
According to Courant reports, Williams-Bey was out on bonds totaling more than $800,000 at the time of the shooting. He faced charges in multiple pending cases, including another shooting, and had been ordered to only leave his home for work or any legal or medical appointments, Courant reporting said. His 24/7 lockdown was monitored via an ankle bracelet that tracked whether he was at home.
Williams-Bey’s probation officer told police he was employed by Amazon, the warrant affidavit said. Detectives contacted the company and learned that he had been fired in November 2022, according to the warrant affidavit.
The fatal shooting was prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Brett J. Salafia and Assistant State’s Attorney Kathleen Morgan with the assistance of Inspector Joseph Buyak and Paralegal Specialist Kelly Randall, according to the DCJ.
In a news release issued after the sentencing, Hartford Judicial District State’s Attorney Sharmese L. Walcott said she wanted to extend her “sincere gratitude” to Phipps’ family “who endured the heartbreaking loss of a son and brother.” She also thanked the Hartford Police Department’s Major Crimes Division for their “swift response and thorough investigation” and the trial team who “diligently examined every piece of evidence and navigated complex legal issues to bring this case to justice.”