Hartford Man Charged with Illegally Possessing Firearm and Ammunition

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, David Sundberg, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody today announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford has returned an indictment charging LAMONT FIELDS, 23, of Hartford, with unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition.

The indictment was returned on July 20 and Fields was arrested last night.  He appeared today via videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish who ordered Fields detained.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on March 24, 2021, Hartford Police arrested Fields after officers found him in possession of a loaded .357 Glock 31 pistol.  The investigation revealed that the firearm had been reported stolen in Atlanta, Georgia.

It is further alleged that, on May 13, 2021, while Fields was released on bond in his state case related to his March 24 arrest, Hartford Police arrested Fields after officers found him in possession of a loaded 9mm “ghost gun.”  Fields was again released on bond.

It is alleged that analysis by the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) determined that the ghost gun seized from Fields is likely the firearm that was used on May 4, 2021, to shoot three victims in Hartford, killing one and seriously wounding the other two.

It is alleged that Fields’ criminal history includes state felony convictions in 2017 for carrying a dangerous weapon, and in 2018 for criminal possession of a weapon.  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.

The indictment charges Fields with one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, and one count of possession of ammunition by a felon.  Each offense carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

Acting U.S. Attorney Boyle stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force and the Hartford Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ruff.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.