A CT man tried to ditch a gun after a massive shootout. Authorities found a loaded Ruger LCP .380

A Connecticut man was sentenced to prison for a firearm offense that followed a gang-related shootout, according to federal authorities.

Aaron Christian, 30, of Hartford, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to a total of 21 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, according to federal authorities.

Authorities, citing court documents and statements made in court, said an unidentified shooter, who is “suspected of being a member of a rival gang, opened fire at people who were standing in a parking lot outside of a memorial gathering in Hartford,” on April 18, 2022.

Then, surveillance cameras at the location “recorded at least nine individuals drawing firearms, and some of them returned fire,” authorities said.

“Shot Spotter technology recorded approximately 50 shots fired within approximately 90 seconds in and around the location, and law enforcement recovered at least 31 shell casings from the scene,” federal authorities said in a statement. Christian allegedly was present at the gathering and was recorded on video firing at the fleeing assailant, federal authorities said in the statement.

After Hartford police obtained a warrant for Christian, officers spotted him on July 14, 2022, outside of a smoke shop on Franklin Avenue in Hartford, and he fled and “attempted to throw a handgun onto the roof of the business,” authorities said. However, the gun hit the awning of the business and fell to the sidewalk, authorities said. Christian was arrested and a loaded Ruger Model LCP .380 pistol confiscated from the sidewalk.

Authorities said Christian’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for drug, larceny, and threatening offenses and he therefore is not eligible to possess a firearm or ammunition.

Christian has been in custody since his arrest; he pleaded guilty in July to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

State charges against Christian related to his alleged conducted on April 18, 2022, are pending, authorities said.

The investigation was done by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Hartford Police Department.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, “the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.”