Hartford felon on supervised release gets prison for involvement in shootout
A 36-year-old man was sentenced Friday to more than six years in federal prison for his involvement in a Hartford shootout in 2020 while he was on supervised release for firearm and drug charges, federal officials said.
James Dudley, also known as “Pooka,” of Hartford was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 77 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a firearm and violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Dudley pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon on May 4, 2022.
In the early morning hours of Oct. 4, 2020, Hartford Police Department officers responded to Addison Street after hearing gunfire in the area. According to the ShotSpotter detection system, 26 shots were fired during the incident, court records said.
Dudley was a passenger in a car that attempted to leave the scene as police arrived. An officer ordered the car to stop, according to court records. The driver put the car in reverse and hit a parked vehicle as it sped off, injuring a woman who was getting into the car. Records show that Dudley then threw a .40 caliber pistol from the vehicle as it fled.
The pistol had its slide locked back with a magazine inserted, according to court records, indicating that the gun was fired until empty. Officers also recovered numerous .40 caliber and 9mm shell casings from the area, according to court records.
Forensic analysis of the firearm revealed Dudley’s DNA, and he was arrested on April 11, 2022. As a convicted felon, it is a violation of federal law to possess a firearm or ammunition.
Dudley’s criminal history includes state convictions for robbery and narcotics offenses and federal convictions for firearm and drug offenses for which he served four years and four months in prison. He was released from federal prison in November 2018 and was on supervised release at the time of the shootout.
Dudley has been detained since his arrest.