Indictment Charges New Haven Man With Firearm Offense: Feds

NEW HAVEN, CT —Branden Harper, 30, of New Haven, was indicted on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, according to US Attorney for CT, Vanessa Roberts Avery.

The indictment, returned Aug. 20, alleges that between approximately Nov. 2 and Nov. 16, 2023, Harper unlawfully possessed a loaded Glock 22 .40 caliber firearm with an extended magazine, per Avery.

As alleged in court documents, the firearm, which was affixed with a “Glock switch” that converted it to a fully automatic weapon, was used in a shooting in New Haven on Nov. 12, 2023, according to the U.S. Attorney, James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson.

The indictment further alleges that, in 2015, Harper was convicted in state court of manslaughter in the first degree. 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.

Harper appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and entered a plea of not guilty to the charge, Avery said. Harper has been detained since his arrest on related state charges on March 27, 2024, per court records.