24-04-2025
Man with violent criminal history accused of shooting woman during dispute with neighbor in Bristol
A man previously convicted of attempted murder and assault charges has been accused of shooting a woman during a dispute between neighbors in Bristol in October 2024, according to court documents.
Jose Cruz-Rosa, 47, currently of Middletown was arrested on April 15 on charges of first-degree assault, illegal discharge of a firearm, first-degree reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a firearm, according to the Bristol Police Department.
The warrant affidavit supporting the charges said officers on Oct. 9, 2024 at 7:02 p.m. responded to Conlon Street on the report of shots fired and found a woman suffering from a gunshot wound to her leg. Police applied a tourniquet and gauze to her wound to control the bleeding before she was taken to Hartford Hospital.
The victim, who resides in an apartment on Conlon Street, told officers she had been having issues with some neighbors across the street and that one of them had tried fighting with her family members, the warrant affidavit said. During the dispute, she said, a man with 'poofy hair' and a white T-shirt took out a gun and shot her, according to the warrant affidavit.
Responding officers found shell casings in two different areas of Conlon Street and would later learn from witnesses that the dispute took place between a group of about three to four people in a residential driveway and a larger group of people in the street, the warrant affidavit said.
During the incident, in which multiple individuals could reportedly be heard yelling at each other, someone in the smaller group allegedly fired off about two to three shots at the larger group in the street, witnesses told police. Witnesses said a man in the larger group then allegedly took out a firearm and returned gunfire, according to the warrant affidavit. Witnesses identified the second shooter as a man who lived on the street at the time, who investigators have identified as Cruz-Rosa, the warrant affidavit said.
After the second series of shots were fired, the two groups scattered, creating a chaotic scene as officers arrived, according to the warrant affidavit. Police received reports that two vehicles and possibly one person on foot had left the area as patrol officers were responding. Detectives with the Criminal Investigation Division later responded to investigate.
Detectives who combed the scene for evidence immediately believed gunshots were fired from two different locations, the warrant affidavit said. Investigators at one point suspected that the woman who was shot may have been the first person to fire off shots during the dispute, though forensic testing later found no evidence that she had shot a gun, the warrant affidavit said.
While investigators were still at the scene, Cruz-Rosa returned in a black Nissan Maxima and agreed to speak with an officer. He told police he checked on his family after learning that they were involved in a shooting and, after making sure they were OK, headed out to buy cigarettes, the warrant affidavit said.
Police at the scene performed a gunshot residue test on his hands. Investigators also performed tests on the hands of the gunshot victim and her son as well, the warrant affidavit said.
A day after the shooting, authorities obtained a search warrant for the gunshot victim's home, the warrant affidavit said. When the search was carried out, police allegedly found a box of gun ammunition and a gun box but no firearm inside, police wrote. The ammunition which was seized matched a shell casing found near the injured victim, the warrant affidavit said.
During a subsequent interview with detectives, Cruz-Rosa reaffirmed his initial statement to police and provided additional details as to what he said he was doing when the shooting happened. He told investigators he was cooking dinner when he heard family members outside arguing with someone, the warrant affidavit said. As he was making his way outside he said he heard gunfire, which he described as 'pop, pop, pop,' according to the warrant affidavit.
After checking on his family, Cruz-Rosa told police he left to buy cigarettes as officers converged on the area. Detectives questioned his account, saying it would not be 'normal' behavior for someone to head out to buy cigarettes if they just learned that their family had been shot at, the warrant affidavit said. He allegedly told detectives that, despite his prior criminal history, he 'was scared,' according to the warrant affidavit.
'…if you see my record, I used to be bad,' Cruz-Rosa told police, the warrant affidavit said. 'I never shoot on nobody, you know what I mean? I never been in that type of life.'
Forensic testing of the residue test performed on Cruz-Rosa's hands reportedly produced 'strong evidence' indicating there was gunshot residue present, the warrant affidavit said.
The test performed on the gunshot victim's hands came back negative. Testing reportedly showed that the her son likely had gun residue on one of his hands, according to the warrant affidavit. Court records reviewed Wednesday indicated he has not been charged.
According to the warrant affidavit, investigators found that Cruz-Rosa's prior criminal history includes a 1999 conviction on an attempted murder charge as well as other convictions on charges of sale of a hallucinogen/narcotics, possession of narcotics and second-degree assault. He is being held on a $250,000 bond and is next scheduled to appear in New Britain Superior Court on May 6.
Court records show Cruz-Rosa's bond can only be posted at the courthouse and that, should he be released, he will be subject to Intensive Pretrial Supervision that will include GPS monitoring and 24/7 house arrest. He has not entered a plea to the charges.
