New Haven Gang Member Gets 22 Years For Murders, Shootings: Feds

NEW HAVEN, CT — Reputed New Haven Gang member Tyjon Preston, 22, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to serve 22 years in prison for his involvement in a violent New Haven street gang, including two murders and additional shootings, according to officials.

The announcement Tuesday was made by Mark R. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; John P. Doyle, Jr., State’s Attorney for the New Haven Judicial District; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; Anish Shukla, Acting 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.

This latest sentencing follows the ATF, FBI, DEA and New Haven Police Department's joint investigation of a "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." Investigators worked closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, it's noted in a news release from the Justice Department. According to which, the Exit 8 gang is named after the geographic area accessed by exiting Interstate 91 at Exit 8 in New Haven. 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.

Silverman said that according to court documents and statements made in court, the investigation revealed that Preston 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 of the state, and used those stolen vehicles when committing acts of violence," Silverman's release reads. "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 US Attorney said that on April 24, 2024, Preston pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity.

Silverman said Preston specifically admitted to the following: On April 27, 2021, he and other Exit 8 members attempted to kill a rival gang member and shot him in the leg; on May 19, 2021, he and other Exit 8 members conspired to kill rival gang members, and shot and killed an associate of a rival gang; on May 20, 2021, he and other Exit 8 members shot and attempted to kill rival gang members; and on July 5, 2021, he and another Exit 8 member shot and killed a 22-year-old woman after she made a rap song containing derogatory comments about Exit 8.

Preston has been detained since September 2021.