On April 11, 2018, 35-year-old Eric Lewis was shot once in the chest around 12:20 p.m. on Chapel Street in New Haven’s West River neighborhood, between Winthrop Avenue and Norton Street. Witnesses nearby heard a noise like a firecracker and found Lewis struggling to breathe; bystanders tried to help him sit up while waiting for emergency crews. He was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital and pronounced dead shortly before 2:25 p.m.

New Haven Police Major Crimes Division and the Bureau of Identification led the response, spoke with witnesses and collected evidence, then identified 34-year-old Elias Jamar Rivers of New Haven as a suspect. Investigators believed Rivers had fled the state, and U.S. Marshals located and arrested him in Raleigh, North Carolina, on May 1, 2018. A warrant charged Rivers with murder, criminal possession of a firearm and carrying a pistol without a permit; bond was set at $2 million and extradition to Connecticut was initiated.

If anyone saw activity on Chapel Street that afternoon or has information about Lewis, please share what is known.