Giovanni Rodriguez, 24, was shot dead in the early morning hours of June 21, 2020, in the parking lot of the Comfort Inn & Suites in Meriden, Connecticut. According to investigators, Rodriguez was by his car when a vehicle slowly approached and a man in the passenger seat opened fire with a .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun. Rodriguez was struck multiple times, tried to flee, and collapsed in the hotel entranceway. First responders arrived at about 1:52 a.m. and found him with a single gunshot wound to the chest; attempts to revive him failed and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say the shooting was driven by gang rivalry: Rodriguez was identified as a member of the Crips and the suspected shooter, Trevor Outlaw, as a member of the rival Bloods. Investigators allege an associate alerted Outlaw and an accomplice to Rodriguez’s presence at the hotel, prompting the targeted attack. Authorities identified 35-year-old Trevor Outlaw as the primary suspect. In August 2020, a 39-year-old woman, Cheenisa Rivera, was arrested and charged with interfering with the investigation and hindering prosecution.

If anyone was in the area of the Comfort Inn & Suites that night or has information about Rodriguez, Outlaw, Rivera, or the events leading up to the shooting, please come forward.