A swell of CT violence killed a bystander, left another paralyzed. Two gangsters face life in prison.

Two members of a violent Waterbury street gang have been found guilty by a federal jury of racketeering charges — marking 14 members of the 960 street gang who have been taken off the street and convicted following an extensive investigation that culminated in a 36-count indictment.

Gabriel Pulliam, also known as “G,” 30, and Julian Scott, also known as “Ju Sav,” 25, were found guilty last week following a trial in federal court in Bridgeport, local and federal authorities said at a news conference Wednesday at the Waterbury Police Department.

The pair were found guilty of conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, murder in violation of the Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering statute, causing death through the use of a firearm and in relation to a crime of violence, 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, officials said.

Pulliam was also found guilty of conspiracy to possess, with intent to distribute, and to distribute, controlled substances.

At sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled, Pulliam and Scott face a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.

“I’ve said this before and I will say it again: Every Connecticut resident, regardless of race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status deserves to live in a safe community,” Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, said at the news conference on Wednesday.

“No person or group of people is entitled to wreak havoc by engaging in repeated acts of violence, instilling fear and trauma in children and families who reside in our communities,” Avery added. “This type of gang activity is a federal crime that we will investigate and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.”

Avery said Pulliam and Scott are part of the 960 street gang that has been linked to “no fewer than” 10 acts of violence between 2017 and 2019, which includes a double homicide of rival gang members in 2017 and a shooting in October 2018 that killed a mother of four and left a second woman paralyzed.

Members of 960 have been linked to the shootings of “at least” six other individuals, including a daytime shooting that took place less than a block away from a school, Avery said. Members of the gang frequently boast about their acts of violence on social media, she added.

During the five-week trial of Pulliam and Scott, prosecutors linked the pair to three shootings, including the one that killed an innocent bystander.

Federal officials said Scott and other gang members attempted to murder individuals believed to be members of a rival gang, which resulted in gunshot wounds to one person during a drive-by shooting on Oct. 6, 2018.

Five days later, Pulliam, Scott, and other 960 members participated in another drive-by shooting in an attempt to murder rival gang members, leading to the death of 30-year-old Fransua Guzman and a second victim being left paralyzed.

Then on Nov. 18, 2018, Scott and other gang members participated in another drive-by shooting targeting rival gang members, which led to two people suffering gunshot wounds, officials said.

The trial against Pulliam and Scott came after local, state and federal authorities partnered to curtail acts of violence in Waterbury linked to gang activity. Waterbury police partnered with the FBI and ATF during an extensive investigation that entailed countless hours of work, culminating in an indictment in September 2021 against 16 members of the 960 gang.

Avery on Wednesday said all but two of the cases have been resolved by either a plea deal or a conviction following a trial.

The convictions include four individuals who were found guilty on Feb. 14 following a six-week trial. Three of them were found to have murdered Clarence Lewis and Antonio Santos on Nov. 22, 2017, as well as “other violent acts,” officials said

They also face mandatory sentences of life imprisonment.

Since the indictment, Avery said there has been a “significant decrease” in serious assaults and reports of shots fired in Waterbury.

“This kind of significant impact on violence does not happen without the strong local and federal partnerships that developed in this case,” Avery said, adding that similar partnerships have been used to target violence in cities like Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven.

According to Chief Fernando Spagnolo of the Waterbury Police Department, Waterbury has seen a drop in violent crimes year after year since police began partnering with state and federal agencies to target gang violence.

“This serves as a foundation for the citizens that live in Waterbury and people that thrive and do business in Waterbury to feel safer,” Spagnolo said.

Without the collaboration between Waterbury police and other agencies, “this case doesn’t get off the ground,”  Spagnolo said.

“The 14 pleas and convictions obtained in this case are the result of years of painstaking work and illustrate what can be accomplished when both federal and state agencies cooperate by sharing information and working together to make our communities safer,” Waterbury State’s Attorney Maureen T. Platt said in a statement issued Wednesday.

“We are very grateful for the tremendous effort and resources that the U.S. Attorney’s Office put forward to stop these violent gang offenders,” Platt said.  “I am extremely proud of the hard work, dedication, and professionalism exhibited by members of the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office who were led by Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Don Therkildsen, and included Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney Alex Arroyo and Inspector Mike Slavin.”

“Lastly, the Waterbury Police Department, under the leadership of Chief Fernando Spagnolo, must be commended for its thorough and complete investigation of this complex and difficult prosecution,” Platt said.