On the night of July 11, 2021, Joselito Calderon, 54, was working as a security guard at the Copa Bar and Restaurant in Bridgeport when several armed individuals entered in what police described as a failed robbery attempt. Shots were fired during the incident; Calderon was fatally wounded and later died at St. Vincent’s Medical Center. A second person was shot and survived.

Calderon was widely remembered as a devoted husband and father, married 11 months and father to two adult daughters. Born in Ecuador, he had served in the Ecuadorian military and worked as a bodyguard for the country’s president. He ran the Chen Huu Academy in Stratford as a master Tae Kwon Do instructor and was known for mentoring students, sometimes letting children who couldn’t afford lessons train for free.

His wife, Christina, witnessed the shooting and subsequently kept in regular contact with detectives seeking updates. Anyone who knew Calderito or has information about the robbery is asked to come forward.