NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A member of New Haven’s violent Exit 8 street gang was sentenced to seven years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, in New Haven court on Wednesday.
According to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Samuel “Blamm” Douglas, 25, of New Haven, pleaded guilty on April 22 to conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity.
Douglas specifically admitted that on June 16, 2018, he and Exit 8 gang member Kiveon Hyman shot at and attempted to kill a member and associate of a rival gang near Fountain Street, Davis Street and Lakeview Terrace in New Haven.
Prosecutors said the intended victim’s associate was shot seven times but survived the attack. 15 spent ammunition casings were found at the scene by investigators, and the two handguns that fired the casings were subsequently recovered.
One handgun was seized in March 2019 from an Exit 8 member who has since passed away. The other handgun was recovered by New Haven police in 2020 and was linked by the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network to eight other shooting incidents in New Haven in 2018.
After pleading guilty, Hyman was sentenced to six years and six months in prison in April. Douglas has been detained since Nov. 10, 2022, prosecutors said.
The release notes that Douglas and fellow Exit 8 gang members engaged in drug trafficking, used and shared guns and have committed at least three murders while attempting 16 murders together since June 2018.
Exit 8 gang members have also stolen vehicles, some from out of state, and used them to commit acts of violence, prosecutors said. Members of the gang promoted, coordinated, facilitated and celebrated their narcotics distribution and violent acts through text messaging and posts on social media apps.
The gang is named after the area accessed by exiting Interstate 91 at Exit 8 in New Haven.
The U.S. Attorney said that the ATF, FBI, DEA and New Haven Police Department have been working together to curb violence in New Haven, as an ongoing gang war exists between members and associates of the Exit 8 gang and rivals in the Hill section and other areas of the city.
RELATED: Another Exit 8 gang member from New Haven admits to role in murder, pleads guilty to racketeering
The prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which works to unite all levels of law enforcement with community members to make neighborhoods safer for everyone.
The prosecution is also part of Project Longevity and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces programs. Project Longevity looks to facilitate direct conversations between law enforcement and the individuals who are prone to commit violence, while the OCDETF program identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and criminal organizations, according to the release.
RELATED: ‘Jae Honcho’ of New Haven’s violent Exit 8 gang is sentenced to more than 15 years in prison
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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