New Haven 'Exit 8' Member Involved In 2 Shootings Gets 10 Years: Feds

NEW HAVEN, CT — Nyzaire Barnes, 20, of New Haven, was sentenced Thursday in federal court to 125 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in a violent New Haven street gang, including two gang-related shootings, per the Justice Department.

According to Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, "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, the U.S. Attorney said. 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 a Justice Department news release.

According to Avery, court documents and statements made in court, the "investigation revealed that Barnes 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."

Federal prosecutors said "Exit 8 members and associates also stole vehicles, at times from outside of 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 news release reads.

On March 11, Barnes pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, and specifically admitted that he took part in two gang-related shootings, prosecutors said. "On April 12, 2022, Barnes and other Exit 8 members shot and attempted to kill rival gang members," the Justie release reads. "On January 20, 2023, Exit 8 members, including Devin Suggs, stole an SUV in Scarsdale, New York ...and later that day, Barnes and Suggs committed a drive-by shooting of a rival gang member in New Haven." The victim was shot in the head, but survived the attack, prosecutors said.

Barnes has been detained since August 3, 2023. Suggs pleaded guilty to the same charge on February 20, 2024, and awaits sentencing.

This investigation is being conducted by ATF, the FBI, the DEA, the New Haven Police Department, the Hamden Police Department, and the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police and the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara E. Levens, Rahul Kale, and Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis.