A Waterbury man received a life sentence in federal court after he was convicted on murder, attempted murder and racketeering charges for his role in a violent street gang.
Malik Bayon, also known as “Pop” and “Dirt,” 29, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to life in prison in addition to a mandatory five-year consecutive term, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The FBI, ATF, and Waterbury Police Department launched an investigation into multiple Waterbury-based gangs, including the 960 gang, in an effort to address drug trafficking and related violence, court records show.
On Sept.14, 2021, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned a 36-count indictment, charging Bayon and 15 other members of the 960 gang members with various charges including racketeering, murder, attempted murder, assault, firearm possession, narcotics trafficking and obstruction of justice.
According to court records, Bayon and other 960 members reportedly attempted to kill members of a rival gang during a drive-by shooting in the area of Porter and Bank Streets in Waterbury on Oct. 31, 2017. Court records show that an individual was shot during the incident. At the scene, investigators recovered 17 shell casings from four different firearms.
On Nov. 22, 2017, Bayon and 960 members Zaekwon McDaniel and Tahjay Love reportedly shot at Clarence Lewis and Antonio Santos who were in a car at a restaurant in Waterbury. Lewis then drove off at a high rate of speed and crashed into a house at the intersection of Wolcott Street and Dallas Avenue in Waterbury. According to court records, Lewis, 22, and Santos, 20, were pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators said shell casings collected at the scene were reportedly connected to two of firearms used during the shooting on Oct. 31, 2017.
A little over a month later, on Dec. 29, 2017, Bayon, McDaniel, and Love reportedly shot the father of a rival gang member as he was taking out the trash in front of his home. “960 members videoed themselves wearing masks at the scene minutes before the shooting,” investigators said.
According to investigators, Bayon and other 960 members reportedly made rap videos that glorified gang violence, firearm possession, and drug dealing to promote the gang. “Many of the rap lyrics were tied to criminal conduct committed by 960 members,” investigators said.
Bayon has been detained since his federal arrest on Sept. 16, 2021. According to court records, Bayon was flushing fentanyl in a toilet at the time of his arrest. “A search of his residence revealed a firearm, an extended gun magazine and additional gun magazines, and ammunition,” court records show.
A jury found Bayon, McDaniel, and Love guilty of conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity with special circumstances, murder in violation of the Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering statute and two counts of causing death through the use of a firearm and in relation to a crime of violence on Feb. 14, 2024, according to court records.
McDaniel was also found guilty of attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering and carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Love was found guilty of an additional charge of obstruction of justice, and Bayon was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and 40 grams or more of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute narcotics and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, court records show.
McDaniel was sentenced to life in prison in addition to a mandatory 10-year consecutive term on Sept. 9. Love is awaiting sentencing.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, Waterbury Police Department, ATF and U.S. Marshals Service, with the assistance of the Southington Police Department, Watertown Police Department, New Milford Police Department, Connecticut State Police, Connecticut Department of Correction, Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory and the DEA Laboratory.