Mistrial declared in Bridgeport murder trial

BRIDGEPORT — Cadell Moore had been an innocent victim of gun violence in the city.

The father of six children had pulled his Chevrolet sport utility vehicle over on Sixth Street on Aug. 24, 2017, to fix a problem with it when, police said, he was caught in the city’s drug and gang war.

Moore was shot in the head while bent over his SUV’s engine.

But on Tuesday a 12member jury deadlocked on whether a Norwalk man, 27-year-old David Shavers, was Moore’s killer.

“The best we can come up with is 11 to 1,” the jury forewoman stated in a note after three days of deliberations.

Superior Court Judge Tracy Lee Dayton then declared a mistrial in the case and dismissed the jury. She continued the case to Nov. 28 for state prosecutors to decide whether they will retry it.

Shavers, who has been free after posting $750,000 bond, is charged with murder, attempted first-degree assault and criminal possession of a firearm.

His lawyer, Mitchell Hoffler, did not immediately comment on the mistrial.

Police said Shavers got into a dispute with members of the city’s East Side gang after a deal to sell cocaine together fell through.

On Aug. 24, 2017, police said Shavers was attacked by gang members as he left his probation office on Fairfield Avenue. After getting treated at Norwalk Hospital for his injuries, police said Shavers borrowed a friend’s Hyundai sedan and headed to Sixth Street in Bridgeport where police said the gang members were using an apartment to “cook” up the cocaine.

Police said Shavers fired out of the car as he drove by the apartment house on Sixth Street hitting Moore.