Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that GARY GIBSON, JR., 25, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for a firearm offense stemming from his armed robberies of two convenience stores in May 2023.
According to court documents and statements made in court, shortly after midnight on May 7, 2023, Gibson, brandishing a Glock semiautomatic handgun, robbed the Star Food & Convenience Store, located at 193 Boston Post Road in West Haven. Gibson took approximately $1,860 cash from the register and took cash and an iPhone from an employee of the store.
In the afternoon of May 8, 2023, Gibson entered the 7th Haven Convenience Store, located at 129 Sylvan Avenue in New Haven, and forced an employee to the ground at gunpoint. After taking approximately $5,700 cash from the register and rent money, Gibson fired a shot into the ceiling during a struggle with the employee. Gibson then fled.
New Haven Police, with the assistance of West Haven Police, arrested Gibson in Milford shortly after the New Haven robbery and seized from him the handgun used during the robberies. The gun had an attached laser sight and a loaded 15-round magazine.
Gibson’s criminal history includes six felony convictions for weapon possession, robbery, and larceny offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Gibson has been detained since May 8, 2023. On July 15, 2024, he pleaded guilty to carrying, using, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
Judge Chatigny ordered Gibson to pay $7,560 in restitution.
This matter was investigated by the FBI’s Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force, the New Haven Police Department, and the West Haven Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ruff through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.
