Two men charged with murder in fatal Connecticut shooting

By Richard Weizel

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Reuters) - Two men have been charged with murder following a Connecticut shooting that killed one person and injured eight others at a public housing project in June, police said on Wednesday.

Bridgeport police said Jamal Hamilton and Kevan Bennett, both 24, were arrested late on Tuesday in connection with the shooting, which Mayor Bill Finch has called the worst in the city's history.

“The evidence in this case indicates that both men, along with other unnamed suspects, ambushed a group of people," Bridgeport police spokesman Kevin Coughlin said. "They sprayed the crowd with gunfire.”

A group of people had gathered late on June 11 in the Trumbull Gardens housing project's parking lot and were listening to music when the shooting occurred.

Savonnie McNeil, 37, of the nearby suburb of Shelton, was visiting relatives at the complex when he was shot in the head and died.

At the time, Bridgeport Police Chief Joseph Gaudett said the shooting may resulted from a dispute between rival gangs.

Hamilton and Bennett were scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday on charges of murder, eight counts of assault in the first degree and various weapons charges. Both men are already in jail on unrelated charges and being held on $1 million bond, police said.

(Editing by Laila Kearney and Susan Heavey)