Man arraigned on charges connected to double homicide

BRIDGEPORT – A city man, awaiting trial on gun charges, was charged with fatally shooting two people and firing at responding police officers early Thursday morning.

Police said Tarik Francis, 35, held officers at bay for more than two hours outside the Platt Street home before he surrendered without incident.

When police entered the home, they said they found the bodies of a man and a woman. Their identities have not been released.

Francis was charged with two counts of murder, and one count each of attempted murder and attempted first-degree assault.

During his arraignment Thursday afternoon, Francis, dressed in a white prison jumpsuit, stood rocking back and forth before Superior Court Judge Tracy Lee Dayton.

Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney Peter Cunniff urged the judge to set a high bond.

“These are serious allegations, the alleged act was committed while the defendant was on bond on weapons charges,” Cunniff said.

Francis’ lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Caroline Watson, asked the judge for some leniency for her client stating that Francis has been living at home with his parents while he pursued employment.

“There are two people who are deceased, the allegations are very serious,” the judge agreed. She ordered Francis held in lieu of $5 million bond and continued the case to Sept. 21.

According to the police report of Officer Rachel Harry, at 1:25 a.m. she was dispatched to 390 Platt St. on a 911 call from a man of “people getting shot.” The caller refused to give his name, police said.

As the officer walked towards the house, she saw a man standing inside the second-floor window, the report states.

Harry went to ring the doorbell when a gunshot came from inside the house. The report states that she and other officers immediately ran for cover.

The Police Department’s Emergency Services Unit arrived on the scene and a detective called the phone number used to make the initial 911 call, the police report states. A man answered the phone and identified himself as Tarik Francis and stated, “he was alone in the house and in the basement,” according to police. The report stated Francis denied making the 911 call and hung up.

The report states that officers contacted Francis again and this time he agreed to turn himself in to police. He walked out of the house at 3:34 a.m. and surrendered, the report states.

During a search of the house, the report states members of ESU found the two bodies, both obvious victims of gunshots. Bullet shell casings were found next to the bodies and the report states a semi-automatic handgun was found in the home.

According to court records, on March 5, 2020, Francis was arrested by members of the Statewide Narcotics Task Force and charged with criminal possession of a firearm and illegal transfer of a pistol. He was free on $25,000 bond pending trial.

Francis is also currently on parole, according to court records, for a 2017 conviction in Stamford for first-degree larceny and third-degree burglary.