Exit 8 Gang Member Involved In Shootings, Murders Gets 17 Years: Feds

NEW HAVEN, CT — Antwan Hill, also known as “Bandz,” 20, of New Haven, was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court to 215 months in prison for participating in a violent New Haven street gang and multiple gang-related shootings that resulted in two deaths, according to the Justice Department.

The announcement came from Vanessa Roberts Avery, US Attorney for Connecticut; John P. Doyle, Jr., State’s Attorney for the New Haven Judicial District; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England; and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson.

According to officials, court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address violence in New Haven, the ATF, FBI, DEA and New Haven Police Department, working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, have been investigating 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 Exit 8 gang is named after the geographic area accessed by exiting Interstate 91 at Exit 8 in New Haven," a news briefing from Justice reads. "Recently, younger members of Exit 8 are identifying themselves with the word 'Honcho,' which is derived from the street name of an Exit 8 member who was murdered on Quinnipiac Avenue in February 2020."

According to federal, state and local officials, the investigation revealed that Hill and other members of the Exit 8 gang engaged in drug trafficking, used, and shared firearms, and, since June 2018, have committed at least three murders and 16 attempted murders.

"Exit 8 members and associates also stole vehicles, at times from outside the state, and used those stolen vehicles when committing acts of violence. 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 Justice statement reads.

The Hill investigation timeline, per officials:

On April 18, 2024, Hill pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, and specifically admitted that he took part in four gang-related shootings, which resulted in two deaths. On September 26, 2020, Hill and another Exit 8 gang member shot and attempted to kill a member and associate of a rival gang. On May 19, 2021, Hill and other Exit 8 members conspired to kill rival gang members, including a rival gang member who was shot and killed on that date by another Exit 8 member. On July 5, 2021, Hill and another Exit 8 member shot and killed an individual. On April 12, 2022, Hill and another Exit 8 member shot and attempted to kill rival gang members. Hill has been detained since August 3, 2023.

The case —part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces programs—is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis.