New London Man Sentenced For Gun Crime: Feds

NEW LONDON, CT — A New London man has been sentenced to 40 months in prison on gun charges, according to a statement from Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut. Shaquan Sanders, aka "Sosa Da Billy, 28, of Uncasville, will also serve 3 years of supervised release for unlawful possession of a firearm.

According to prosecutors, on Aug. 7 2020, New London police officers investigating a string of shootings conducted a court-authorized search of a car that Saunders had occupied and recovered a loaded .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, a spent .45 caliber shell casing, and a live .380 caliber round.

Forensic analysis of the handgun found Saunders’ DNA. Additional analysis of the firearm and recovered shell casing via the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network connected them to a shooting that occurred on Blydenburg Avenue in New London on Aug. 5, 2020.

Saunders’ criminal history includes multiple felony convictions, prosecutors said.

Saunders has been detained since Sept. 21, 2020. He pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon April 4.