Derby PD PHOTO
Jacob Freeman, left, and Rhameir Bush, right.
DERBY — Hours before he was shot to death on Anson Street, 21-year-old Jajuan Benavides told a friend he was carrying a handgun because he had to “watch his back” because of problems he was having with unspecified “Ansonia people.”
The information comes from an arrest warrant Derby police used Oct. 21 to charge Jacob Freeman, 24, of Ansonia, with murder. Police also charged Rhameir Bush, 25, of Bridgeport, with criminal liability for acts of another/murder, and conspiracy to commit murder.
Police believe Freeman shot Benavides while Bush acted as a lookout and getaway driver just before 2 a.m. on Aug. 11, 2017.
Benavides’ may have got off one shot while Freeman chased him down Anson Street, according to the warrant — but Benavides’ gun jammed. He tripped and fell, witnesses told police, and was shot three times. He was pronounced dead at 7 a.m. at Bridgeport Hospital.
The arrest warrant shows people who were friends with Benavides and watched him get shot were reluctant to share everything they knew with police. One person cited the danger involved.
Another potential witness who had been with Freeman and Bush earlier in the evening said he or she didn’t care about the murder, and, while looking at surveillance photos from police, identified two men as “Sponge Bob” and “Patrick.” Police believe the two men in the photo are Freeman and Bush.
But a confidential witness eventually provided police with specific details about the shooting, including the allegation that a month after the shooting, a video uploaded to YouTube shows Freeman alluding to the murder in a rap song, referencing Derby’s Anson Street as “A Block.”
Detectives used the partial statements from witnesses and informants — along with surveillance video footage, cell phone records, text messages, and cellular tower location data — to establish probable cause in order to charge Freeman and Bush.
Police also seized a Jeep Grand Cherokee that Freeman and Bush were believed to be traveling in. The warrant doesn’t indicate what evidence was recovered from the vehicle, if any.
The charges against Freeman and Bush are just accusations at this point. The state has to prove guilt. It is extremely early in the court process.
The warrant, using interviews and surveillance footage, provides a timeline of what police believe happened in the hours building up to the murder.
At 11:25 p.m., Benavides is seen near the Derby Mini Mart on Anson Street with at least five other people.
A minute later, a Jeep Grand Cherokee pulls up. Freeman was the driver, police said. Bush and a woman The Valley Indy isn’t identifying are passengers. The warrant describes what sounds like a party-like atmosphere on Anson Street, but then Freeman and Benavides get into an argument. Freeman gets out of the vehicle and the two walk toward Sixth Street, arguing.
“You can see Benavides’ arms moving quickly, moving back and forth as he is talking to Freeman, appearing agitated,” the warrant, authored by Derby Detective Edward Sullivan, notes.
The two men get into each other’s faces. They appear to argue for some seven minutes, according to the warrant, and Bush also gets involved. At one point, it appears Benavides pushes Bush.
Bush, Freeman, and the third person get back into the Jeep Grand Cherokee and leave Anson Street at about 11:55 p.m.
The warrant has statements from people who said Benavides then made his way to a bonfire on Smith Street. There, he allegedly shows someone the gun he was carrying for protection.
He mentions problems with people in Ansonia, but doesn’t describe the nature of the dispute.
FILE PHOTO
A photo of Jajuan Benavides was part of a memorial set up on Anson Street in 2017.
Meanwhile, the warrant states the Jeep Grand Cherokee with Freeman and Bush is spotted roaming Anson Street at 12:28 a.m. and 12:51 a.m.
At 1:22 a.m., Benavides is spotted on Hawkins Street, making his way toward Anson Street after the bonfire. He joins two friends outside a residence on Anson Street.
At 1:31 a.m., the Jeep Grand Cherokee drives north on Anson Street, past Benavides and the group. The Cherokee drives to Sixth Street, just past the Sixth Street garage, where Sixth Street turns into Hawthorne Avenue.
At this point, police believe that Freeman got out of the vehicle and began to stalk Benavides. He first tried to use alleys to get toward Benavides, according to the warrant, but opted to head straight down Anson Street using doorways as cover.
Bush, who police said identified himself in surveillance photos, backs the vehicle toward the intersection of Sixth Street and Anson. He gets out and hides in a doorway trying to look down toward where Benavides is with people at 1:46 a.m. Bush is seen heading back to his vehicle at 1:49 a.m., but looking back toward Anson Street as shots are fired.
A minute and 10 seconds later, the shooter gets into the Jeep and it heads toward the AM Club west on Hawthorne Avenue.
The warrant, when describing the timeline, doesn’t specifically identify Freeman as the shooter. Police point out that the clothes Freeman wore on Anson Street earlier in the evening match some of the clothes worn by the shooter — specifically the sneakers and pants.
The warrant concludes with a trove of information supplied by an informant, including the tidbit that Freeman was involved in a YouTube rap video that alludes to the shooting.
The informant, who police said knew things about the case that were not released to the public, said Freeman confessed, even bragged about the shooting.
Still, the motive for the crime remains murky. The informant told police Freeman had ties to Lester Street in Ansonia, a location that has seen organized narcotics sales, and that Benavides allegedly “beat up” someone from the neighborhood at some point.
Freeman, who has several other court cases pending, is due back in court Wednesday (Oct. 28). Bush was scheduled to appear Tuesday (Oct. 27).
Derby Police Lt. Justin Stanko has said the same groups of people with connections to the 2017 shooting have been involved in recent reports of shots fired in Derby.
