Evergreen Reporter

Gary Gibson, Jr., a 25-year-old resident of New Haven, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for committing two armed robberies at convenience stores in May 2023. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford and includes four years of supervised release following imprisonment.

According to court records, the first robbery occurred shortly after midnight on May 7, 2023, when Gibson used a Glock semiautomatic handgun to rob the Star Food & Convenience Store in West Haven. He stole approximately $1,860 from the register and additional cash and an iPhone from a store employee.

The second incident took place on the afternoon of May 8, 2023, at the 7th Haven Convenience Store in New Haven. During this robbery, Gibson forced an employee to the ground at gunpoint and took about $5,700 from the register along with rent money. In a struggle with the employee, he fired a shot into the ceiling before fleeing.

Gibson was apprehended by New Haven Police with assistance from West Haven Police shortly after the second robbery while he was in Milford. Authorities seized from him the handgun used during both crimes; it had an attached laser sight and was loaded with a 15-round magazine.

Gibson's criminal record includes six felony convictions related to weapon possession, robbery, and larceny offenses. Federal law prohibits individuals previously convicted of felonies from possessing firearms or ammunition that have moved through interstate or foreign commerce.

Detained since his arrest on May 8, 2023, Gibson pleaded guilty on July 15, 2024, to charges of carrying and using a firearm during violent crimes. Judge Chatigny also ordered him to pay $7,560 in restitution.

The investigation into these incidents was conducted by the FBI’s Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force alongside local police departments from New Haven and West Haven. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ruff prosecuted this case under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is part of broader efforts by the Department of Justice aimed at reducing violent crime through evidence-based strategies involving various community stakeholders.