A gun and drug bust Tuesday on Howe Avenue in Shelton may be connected to a string of recent shootings in Ansonia, police said.
“We’re obviously looking to set up interviews to talk to them,” Ansonia police Lt. Andrew Cota said Wednesday.
Drugs, Guns And A Baby
Cota is referring to the five people arrested Tuesday night by Shelton police and members of the Statewide Narcotics Task Force.
The Task Force raided a third-floor apartment at 219 Howe Ave. in Shelton at about 8:30 p.m.
Cops said they found an unspecified amount of crack cocaine — packaged and ready for sale — inside the apartment.
Two Valley men were arrested: Maurice Beall, 29, who lives in the apartment and Sammy Smith, 28, of Francis Street, Ansonia.
It just so happens that Smith’s Francis Street apartment was fired upon at least five times Saturday morning — marking Ansonia’s third shooting in three weeks.
Beall, meanwhile, has a long criminal history, including convictions for criminal possession of a firearm and attempt to commit first-degree assault. He was identified as a gunman in a 2005 drive-by shooting in Derby, according to a May 2005 article in The New Haven Register.
Stephany Mollo, 26, was also arrested in the Howe Avenue raid. She had a baby with her in the apartment with the drugs, said state police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance.
Mollo and Beall were charged with possession of narcotics, possession of narcotics with intent to sell, possession near a school zone and risk of injury to a minor.
Smith was charged with possession of narcotics, possession with intent to sell and possession near a school zone.
‘Suspicious’ Vehicle Stopped
As the Narcotics Task Force raided the Howe Avenue apartment, Shelton police said they noticed a “suspicious” vehicle driving in the area.
Police wouldn’t say why they thought the vehicle was suspicious — but said the people in the vehicle knew the people from inside the Howe Avenue apartment.
Cops followed them onto Route 8 north, then stopped the vehicle on the exit 15 off-ramp in Derby.
Police said they found a gun inside the car.
The driver, Crystal Simonu, 34, of Ansonia, and the passenger, Derrick Fogle, 31, of Waterbury, were both arrested.
Simonu was charged with possession of weapons in a vehicle.
Fogle was charged with carrying a pistol without a permit, criminal possession of a firearm and theft of a firearm. Fogle’s criminal record contains past convictions and jail time for criminal possession of a firearm in Bridgeport. He also has a past conviction and did jail time for criminal impersonation in Ansonia.
Ansonia Connection?
Ansonia has had a series of gun play lately.
On Nov. 24, someone was shot at in the area of Woodbridge Avenue. A dark-colored SUV may have been involved.
On Dec. 11, 21-year-old Jovan Zimmerman was shot in the stomach while walking on Main Street. A dark-colored SUV was also thought to have been involved.
Zimmerman, who has several criminal convictions on his record, wasn’t cooperating with police after he was shot. He is a relative of Keyshon Zimmerman, who police believe may have been involved in a Derby shooting in 2009. Both Zimmermans were accused earlier this year of being part of a crew that was selling drugs in the Valley.
Cota acknowledged that some of the people arrested by state and Shelton police Tuesday are known to Ansonia police. At this point they are “persons of interest” in the Ansonia investigations.
He stopped short of saying whether the three Ansonia shootings were drug related or definitely connected.
Cota said it’s still early in the investigation — and it’s been difficult getting people to talk.
“It’s the same group of people. The same group of names keeps surfacing,” he said.
