Man Charged In Connection With Triple Fatal Overdose: Stamford Police

STAMFORD, CT — After what was described as an intense 21-month investigation, police said a 38-year-old Norwalk man was arrested on Wednesday and charged in connection with a triple fatal overdose in Stamford from July 2020.

The deaths were caused by fentanyl-laced cocaine, police noted.

The Stamford Police Department announced that Xavier Flores was charged with three counts of first-degree manslaughter and a single count of sale of narcotics.

After a brief struggle during his arrest on Phillips Street in Norwalk Wednesday afternoon, Flores was taken to the Stamford Police Department and asked to cooperate in the booking process.

According to Capt. Richard Conklin of the SPD, Flores refused and said, "I have 40 years to do that."

Flores was additionally charged with failure to comply with fingerprinting and a booking photo. Altogether, he was given a bond of $4,000,500, Conklin said.

On July 16, 2020 at approximately 9:13 a.m., Stamford police responded to a report of three unresponsive occupants in a blue Toyota RAV4 parked near St. Benedict Circle and Dale Street in Stamford, police said.

Firefighters and medics used multiple doses of Narcan, the medicine that rapidly reverses the effects of a drug overdose, but two occupants were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The third occupant was taken to Stamford Hospital where he later died.

During the subsequent investigation, the SPD's Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit worked with the Drug Enforcement Agency, State's Attorney's Office and the Norwalk Police Department.

Undercover officers used different techniques, such as purchasing fentanyl, to develop arrest warrants for Flores, Conklin said.

Flores was tracked to a residence on Phillips Street in Norwalk, Conklin said. After several days of surveillance with the Norwalk Police Department, Flores was taken into custody after he was seen leaving the home around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

In a news release Thursday, Conklin thanked the various agencies involved in the investigation.

"Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit lead investigators Michael Spinosa, Conor Canning and Steven Orgera also deserve special recognition for the countless hours and hard work put into this complex and important case," Conklin said.

"This case illustrates the danger of fentanyl. Fentanyl is responsible for the majority of our overdoses, both fatal and nonfatal," Conklin added. "In this case, the victims were in the belief that they were purchasing cocaine."