Man Who Shot New Haven Restaurant Employee During Attempted Robbery in 2015 Pleads Guilty

 Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, and Acting New Haven Police Chief Renee Dominguez announced that TREIZY LOPEZ, 24, of New Haven, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to a charge stemming from the attempted robbery of a New Haven restaurant, during which he shot an employee, in April 2015.

According to court documents and statements made in court, at approximately 11:00 p.m. on April 11, 2015, Lopez, Tythrone Ford and another man entered the Smokin’ Wings restaurant, located on Congress Avenue in New Haven, and demanded money at gunpoint.  Lopez subsequently discharged a firearm and shot a female employee in the stomach.  Lopez, Ford and their associate then fled the restaurant.  Responding New Haven Police officers subsequently located a .22 caliber revolver in a nearby trash can. 

Approximately eight hours prior to the Smokin’ Wings robbery, Lopez and another individual, armed with handguns, entered Sapiaos Market, located on Lexington Avenue in Bridgeport, and demanded money.  During the attempted robbery, the owner of the market, Jose Salgado, was shot and killed.  Ford was waiting in a car outside of the market during the attempted robbery.

Forensic analysis of the revolver found in the trash can in New Haven, and projectiles collected from the scene of both attempted robberies, revealed that the gun was used in both shootings.  DNA collected from the gun revealed that both Lopez and Ford possessed the gun.

Lopez pleaded guilty to one count of attempted interference with commerce by robbery, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.  Judge Meyer scheduled sentencing for December 16, 2021.

Ford pleaded guilty to the same charge on September 21, 2021, and awaits sentencing.

Lopez is currently incarcerated in state custody after being convicted of offenses related to his role in the robbery and homicide at Sapiaos Market.

This matter stems from a cold case investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the New Haven Police Department, with the assistance of the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter D. Markle, Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis, and Nathaniel J. Gentile through the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program and Project Longevity,

PSN, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts, is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Project Longevity is a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities.  Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it.