Court upholds conviction of man who shot at marshals
HARTFORD — The state Appellate Court has upheld the conviction of a Bridgeport man who shot at state marshals attempting to serve him with a warrant.
The appeals court ruled a trial judge did not abuse his discretion when he refused to tell a jury that the defendant, Lonnie Anderson, may have acted in self- defense.
“It took me a while but I got over it,” said Charles Valentino, one of the marshals who was shot at. “I hope he ( Anderson) straightens himself out.”
In August 2011, the now 37- year- old Anderson was convicted by a Bridgeport Superior Court jury of first- degree assault and assault on a public safety officer. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
According to testimony at the trial, on Oct. 6, 2009, state marshals Valentino and Arthur Quinn, who were unarmed, went to Anderson’s Indian Avenue home in Bridgeport to take him into custody on a warrant for failing to appear in court on a child support case.
However, Anderson came to the door armed with a nine millimeter semiautomatic pistol, according to testimony. The marshals told Anderson that they intended to take him into custody and he took a step back, drew his pistol, and chambered a round. Valentino spotted
“It took me a while but I got over it. I hope he ( Anderson) straightens himself out.”
Charles Valentino, one of the marshals who was shot at
the gun and shouted “gun!”
The marshals ran off the doorstep and headed in opposite directions. As they were running away, Quinn and Valentino said they heard several gunshots and Valentino perceived a bullet passing near his head, according to testimony.
As Quinn was running, he heard multiple gunshots and felt a bullet hit his left foot. Quinn also sustained a second gunshot wound to his right forearm, according to testimony. A neighbor came from his home with a towel to help stop the bleeding from Quinn’s arm.
A short time later, Bridgeport Police Officer Hugo Stern arrived at the Indian Avenue residence and saw uniformed state marshals taking cover near by. Stern aimed his gun at Anderson who surrendered, according to testimony.
“The evidence presented at trial was undisputed that, at the time of the shooting, the marshals were readily identifiable to the defendant and that the marshals were in flight at the time the defendant fired his gun,” the appeals court ruled.