BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A member of what authorities call a violent Connecticut street gang has pleaded guilty to his role in several public shootings that resulted in death or injury to innocent bystanders, federal prosecutors said.
Jermaine Gilbert, 21, of Waterbury, pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court to racketeering, firearm possession and drug trafficking offenses.
The charges stemmed from a long-term and ongoing investigation into the city’s 960 gang, which prosecutors say is involved in drug trafficking and numerous shootings.
By pleading guilty, Gilbert acknowledged that on Oct. 6, 2018, he and other gang members intended to shoot a member of a rival gang but instead wounded an innocent bystander, according to a statement from the office of U.S. Attorney John Durham.
Just days later, on Oct. 11, 2018, Gilbert and his associates tried to shoot another rival gang member, but instead killed one bystander and paralyzed a second, prosecutors said.
Gilbert and other members of his gang wounded an innocent bystander while also injuring a member of rival gang during another shooting on Nov. 18, 2018, authorities said.
When Gilbert was arrested last May, he had two guns and heroin he intended to sell on his person, prosecutors said.
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