A federal jury in New Haven has found Eric D. Cox, 42, of Southington, guilty of firearm and drug offenses connected to a shooting that occurred in Hartford in 2020. The announcement was made by David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Evidence presented during the trial showed that on September 4, 2020, Cox was involved in a violent incident near Hartford Hospital. During this altercation, Cox was slashed with a knife and responded by drawing a gun and firing multiple shots at his assailant and others nearby. A bystander was struck several times as a result. Police responding to the scene recovered cartridge casings on Jefferson Street and later received a report from a hospital employee about a discarded .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol outside the emergency department entrance. Law enforcement searched Cox’s vehicle following the incident and discovered roughly 28 grams of cocaine inside a bag. Analysis linked Cox’s DNA to the recovered firearm.
Cox has a prior federal conviction from 2008 related to crack cocaine distribution, 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’ imprisonment.
Cox is currently free on $100,000 bond while awaiting sentencing; no date has been set.
The Hartford State’s Attorney’s Office handled prosecution for the other person involved in the altercation.
This case resulted from an investigation led 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.
