Gang member admits to role in 2 fatal shootings, other violent acts

A Connecticut man has pleaded guilty to a federal racketeering charge for his role in four gang-related shootings, including two involving fatalities, according to federal authorities.

Antwan Hill, also known as “Bandz,” 21, of New Haven, recently appeared in federal court in New Haven, where he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.

The charge stems from Hill’s role in the Exit 8 street gang, which is named for the area off of Interstate 91 in New Haven accessed from Exit 8. According to federal officials, Hill admitted that he took part in four shootings between 2020 and 2022.

On Sept. 26, 2020, Hill and another Exit 8 gang member shot and attempted to kill a member and associate of a rival gang, officials said. Then on May 19, 2021, Hill and other Exit 8 members conspired to kill rival gang members, including one who was shot and killed that day, officials said.

Federal officials said Hill and another Exit 8 member shot and killed someone on July 5, 2021. And on April 12, 2022, Hill and another Exit 8 member shot and attempted to kill rival gang members.

Hill will be exposed to as many as 20 years in prison when he faces sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled. He has been in custody since August 2023.

According to federal officials, authorities learned of the shootings Hill was involved in during an investigation conducted by numerous agencies into an ongoing gang war between members and associates of the Exit 8 street gang and rival gangs in the Hill section and other areas of the city.

The agencies investigating include the ATF, FBI, DEA and the New Haven Police Department. They also have been working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and

New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office. According to investigators, younger members of Exit 8 have recently been identifying themselves with the word “Honcho,” which was the street name of an Exit 8 member who was killed on Quinnipiac Avenue in February 2020.

Investigators said they found that Hill and other Exit 8 gang members engaged in drug trafficking and used firearms that were shared among members. Since June 2018, the gang is believed to be responsible for at least three killings and 16 attempted killings, according to officials.

Gang members often stole vehicles, sometimes from another state, to commit violent acts.

“Gang members also promoted, coordinated, facilitated, and celebrated their narcotics distribution and acts of violence through text messaging and the use of social media applications and websites including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Youtube,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.