U.S. Marshals arrest suspect in Arizona in connection with fatal shooting of Bloomfield father
A man was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Arizona on Friday in connection with the fatal shooting of a father of two in Bloomfield, officials said.
On Dec. 4, Timothy Ross, 31, of Bloomfield was fatally shot just before 9 a.m. in the area of 590 Bloomfield Ave. He was taken in an ambulance to Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Bloomfield Police Department.
Man dies at hospital following Bloomfield shooting
Devante Swaby, 29, of Peoria, Arizona, was identified as a suspect in the homicide during an investigation by the Bloomfield Police Department Detective Unit, police said.
Police obtained an arrest warrant for Swaby on Dec. 12, charging him with murder, criminal use of a weapon, carrying a pistol without a permit, possession of an assault weapon and weapons in a motor vehicle with a $5 million court-set bond, according to police.
Police determined that Swaby had fled the state and they enlisted the help of the U.S. Marshals Connecticut Violent Fugitive Task Force. An investigation led U.S. Marshals to the 8100 block of N 99th Ave. in Peoria, Arizona, on Friday evening where Swaby was located and taken into custody, according to officials.
Swaby was transported to the Peoria Police Department where he is being held pending his extradition back to Connecticut, police said.
On Thursday night over 40 friends and family gathered for a vigil in Bloomfield.
Father of two remembered at vigil following fatal Bloomfield shooting
“We are 11 days from Christmas and this man (isn’t) going to be with his family,” Mothers United Against Violence co-founder Rev. Henry Brown said during Thursday’s vigil. “That’s crazy. And I condemn whoever took his life.”
Ross left behind two daughters, a brother and a mother, according to Brown.
“Timothy was 31 years old. Two kids. Christmas is right around the corner and their daddy won’t be there,” Brown said during the vigil. “So many people’s lives have been destroyed this year with gun violence. Timothy’s family’s life was destroyed this year with gun violence.”
Swaby faces several charges when he returns back to Connecticut, including murder, criminal use of a weapon, carrying a pistol without a permit, possession of an assault weapon and weapons in a motor vehicle. He will be held on a $5 million bond, according to police.
Information from Courant reporter Taylor Hartz was used in the report.
