by Thomas Breen
The U.S. Attorney’s office announced Thursday that a federal grand jury in Bridgeport has returned a 19-count indictment charging 16 alleged “members and associates” of a New Haven street gang with a range of offenses — including the July 2020 murder of 22-year-old Kaymar Tanner and the May 2021 murder of 18-year-old Semaj Reddick.
U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan, New Haven State’s Attorney John Doyle, New Haven Police Chief David Zannelli, and Hamden Police Chief Page Reynolds, among others, made that announcement in an email press release about the results of “a long-term Homeland Security Task Force investigation into gang violence in New Haven.”
The press release states that the indictment was returned on June 17 for 16 different people between the ages of 19 and 24.
All are allegedly members or associates of a New Haven gang called “Stand on Business” or “SOB.”
The offenses these suspects have been accused of include murder, attempted murder, drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, and racketeering.
The press release states that “the ATF, FBI, DEA, New Haven Police Department, Hamden Police Department, and Connecticut Department of Correction, working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, have been investigating an ongoing gang war.”
The “Stand on Business” gang — also known as “Get Back Gang,” “Everybody Killers,” and “EBK” — reportedly originated in the Hill. “The SOB gang has long-standing rivalries with other neighborhood gangs in New Haven, including the ‘Exit 8′ gang, which [is] based in the geographic area accessed by exiting Interstate 91 at Exit 8 in New Haven, as well as ’24-Hour Shorty,’ ‘Sleepy Land Bitches’ or ‘SLB,’ and ‘the 3s.’ Violence between these groups is retaliatory in nature, and members of SOB are responsible for fatal and non-fatal shootings in the Exit 8 section and other areas of New Haven.”
According to Thursday’s press release, the indictment “alleges that members and associates of SOB engaged in drug trafficking, used and shared firearms and machine gun conversion devices, and, since 2019, have committed at least two murders and numerous attempted murders. SOB members and associates promoted, coordinated, facilitated, and celebrated their criminal conduct, including acts of violence, through text messaging and the use of social media applications, and in rap songs and videos posted online.”
One of the murders included in the indictment was that of Tanner on July 18, 2020 on Newhall Street in southern Hamden. A now-19-year-old allegedly shot and killed Tanner “after mistaking him for a member of the Exit 8 gang.”
The second murder was of Reddick on May 30, 2021 on Circular Avenue in Hamden. A now-19-year-old, a now-23-year-old, and a now-21-year-old allegedly shot and killed Reddick for being “a member and associate of the rival SLB gang.”
In addition to those two murders, the press release references a dozen other shootings that took place between January 2019 and November 2024 that these suspects allegedly committed.
“This indictment describes a cycle of gang warfare that has plagued the streets of New Haven for years,” Sullivan is quoted as saying in Thursday’s press release. “What is truly alarming, and tragic, is the collective ages of these young men who have chosen a path of extreme, unchecked violence. Their alleged actions demonstrate a reckless disregard for human life and the safety of innocent bystanders. Alongside our federal, state, and local partners, this office remains unyielding in our commitment to dismantle these violent networks and restore peace and safety to our neighborhoods.”
“The results of this long-term investigation demonstrate once again that only a small number of people commit the majority of gun violence in our community,” Zannelli is quoted as saying in the press release. “This indictment proves that we do not forget, and that those who perpetrate the most serious offenses will be identified and held accountable for their actions. We are extremely proud of NHPD Detective Cunningham and NHPD Officer Borges for all their hard work throughout this investigation. We are also grateful to the ATF, FBI and DEA New Haven field offices for their collaboration, as well as the US Attorney’s Office and our local law enforcement colleagues.”
The indictment was unsealed Thursday after four of the alleged gang members were arrested on Wednesday. Those four arrestees appeared in federal court and are currently detained, according to the press release. “The other defendants are presently in state custody and will be arraigned in federal court at a later date.”