(New Haven, CT) - New Haven Judicial District State’s Attorney John P. Doyle, Jr. today announced that The Honorable Tracey Lee Dayton on August 3, 2026 sentenced Jamar Boyd, age 44, of New Haven, to serve 20 years in prison, followed by 10 years of special parole following the defendant’s guilty pleas on the eve of trial to Assault in the First Degree, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-59(a)(1), Criminal Attempt to Commit Assault in the First Degree, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-49(a)(2) and § 53a-59(a)(1) and Criminal Possession of a Firearm, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-217(a)(1)(A).
On August 25, 2024, the New Haven Police Department responded to emergency-911 calls of a firearm being discharged in the area of Garden Street. A subsequent investigation revealed that while the defendant was visiting an apartment on Garden Street, a neighbor informed him that his vehicle was being towed because it lacked the required parking permit for the area. The defendant had previously been cited numerous times for parking that same vehicle without a valid permit. Upon learning his vehicle was being towed, the defendant exited the apartment, approached the tow truck driver, who was already driving away, and demanded that he stop and release the vehicle. As the driver continued down the street, the defendant retrieved a handgun from his waistband and fired five rounds at the truck. One round struck the tow truck, and another traveled across the street into an apartment, hitting a woman in the face. The woman, a young mother, had been in her front room playing with her two minor children when she was struck. Fortunately, she survived her injuries, though the incident caused severe trauma to her and her children.
Boyd was legally prohibited from possessing a handgun due to a prior felony conviction. In 2006, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for shooting another man in New Haven on October 4, 2004, an incident that left the victim paralyzed. Boyd was paroled in 2022 in connection with that case.
The case was investigated by the New Haven Police Department, particularly Detective James Marcum. Boyd was apprehended, pursuant to an arrest warrant, by members of the New Haven Police Department Criminal Intelligence Unit. The case was prosecuted by State’s Attorney Doyle and Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney Dean Hanafin, with assistance from Inspector Jeffrey Cortes.
The State Attorney’s Office extends its sincere gratitude to the young mother who was wounded in the shooting, who, despite the significant trauma endured by her and her family, was willing to appear at trial to testify. Her courage and commitment to justice for herself and her family are truly commendable.