Gregory Ingram

Gregory Ingram was a 33-year-old Black man from Bridgeport, Connecticut, and a devoted father to four boys. His family said his sons were his "whole world," and he was remembered as loyal, caring, and unassuming. According to his obituary, Gregory's enormous smile could grab everyone's attention and leave a lasting impression. He had a passion for basketball and bikes, which he turned into a business by repairing and reselling them.

In the early morning hours of March 13, 2021, that life was cut short in a tragic case of mistaken identity. Gregory and his girlfriend had rented a third-floor apartment on Seaview Avenue just days earlier. Around 2 a.m., they were awakened by a noise on their back porch. When Gregory went to see what was happening, two shooters outside unleashed a barrage of at least 25 rounds that tore through the back door and walls of his new home. He was struck three times but managed to move toward the front of the apartment before collapsing in a stairwell, where he died.

Investigators quickly determined that Gregory was not the intended target. The attack was meant for a previous tenant of the apartment, a man known as "Johnno," whom the perpetrators mistakenly believed still lived there. Detectives began piecing together evidence, starting with surveillance footage that captured a suspect vehicle backing into the driveway moments before the shooting. They tracked the car through the city and discovered that it had been sold to an auto body shop only hours after the homicide.

The investigation led police to Eric Ayala. The evidence against him was substantial: he was the one who had sold the getaway car; an FBI analysis of his cell phone records placed him at the crime scene and at several other locations where the suspect vehicle was seen; and his DNA was found on a firearm light attachment that was recovered by police after the shooting.

Ayala’s case went to trial in Bridgeport Superior Court. Over six days, prosecutors presented the evidence linking him to the murder. The defense called a witness who claimed that another man, who had since died, confessed to the crime in 2021. However, prosecutors countered this testimony by playing a recorded jail phone call in which Ayala was heard referring to the witness as his "get out of jail free card."

On May 13, 2026, a jury found Eric Ayala, then 27, guilty of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and criminal possession of a firearm for his role in Gregory Ingram’s death.

As of May 2026, Ayala remained in custody and was scheduled to be sentenced on July 23.