Jail Time For Convicted Felon From Hartford In South Windsor Gun Heist

SOUTH WINDSOR/HARTFORD, CT — A Hartford man was sentenced to three years behind bars Tuesday for his role in a firearms heist in South Windsor last year, according to federal law enforcement officials.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, said Tuesday that Shameik Camara, 32, of Hartford, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. Circuit Judge Sarah A. L. Merriam in Bridgeport to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.

The sentence is for offenses stemming from the theft of numerous firearms from a South Windsor warehouse last year, authorities said.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in August 2021, a shipment of 50 Zigana, Model PX-9G2 pistols was stolen from R&L Carriers, a national freight shipping company with a warehouse located at 540 Sullivan Ave. in South Windsor.

Even though R&L employees were aware of the theft shortly after it occurred in mid-August, they did not notify law enforcement, authorities said.

Officials at R&L carriers reported the theft to law enforcement on Sept. 16, 2021, federal officials said.

In October 2021, authorities said investigators identified Camara after seeing Facebook Marketplace and Offer Up posts selling high-end speakers and sports trading cards that were similar to items stolen from the R&L warehouse at about the same time of the firearms shipment theft.

Camara was arrested on Oct. 28, 2021. At this time of his arrest, he possessed two firearms, one of which was a Zigana pistol taken during the theft in August 2021, officials said.

Federal officials said Camara was previously convicted of felony offenses and it is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

On June 14, Camara, who is detained, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of firearm by a felon and one count of receipt and possession of items from an interstate shipment.

“In August 2021, 50 firearms stolen from a South Windsor warehouse became illegal guns on the street,” said Avery. “To date, only 14 of the stolen guns have been recovered. The 36 that remain unaccounted for represent a real danger to the community until each one is recovered.

"I thank the ATF, South Windsor police and our other law enforcement partners who are investigating this case, apprehending those involved, and methodically tracking down these weapons.”

“ATF recognizes that we are most successful when we work with our state, local, and federal partners,” said Ferguson. “We will continue to prioritize investigations of armed and violent felons to disrupt the cycle of violence and make our communities safer.”

This investigation is being conducted by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the South Windsor Police Department.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and A. Reed Durham.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.