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Norwalk Police Seeking Closure On 1993 Gang Murder Cold Case

NORWALK, Conn. -- On a hot August night in 1993, a Bridgeport woman was shot to death as she waited outside of a Norwalk bar for her boyfriend and sister -- the victim of a gang turf battle that ended as more than 20 gunshots were fired.

Norwalk police are still working a 1993 cold case murder that left a 21-year-old Bridgeport woman dead following a gang shootout.

Norwalk police are still working a 1993 cold case murder that left a 21-year-old Bridgeport woman dead following a gang shootout.

Photo Credit: Norwalk Police Department/Facebook

The death of Fathome Shannell Myrick, 21, hasn't been forgotten by the Norwalk Police Department Cold Case Unit.

According to Lt. Art Weisgerber, her murder is the story of two gangs, one from Bridgeport, one from Norwalk, fighting over her boyfriend's drug dealing in the wrong territory.

On the Aug. 2, 1993, night of her murder, Myrick was waiting outside the Rumors Café on West Avenue for her boyfriend, Cleveland Thompson, aka "Jamaican Charlie," and her sister to come out of the bar. A police officer in the area at the time reported that at 12:58 a.m. he heard two or three firecrackers and then 15 to 20 gunshots from the area of the bar. 

As the officer drove towards the area, he saw numerous people running north on West Avenue and as he was trying to park he saw a man who said he was trying to drive a woman who was in the backseat of his car to the hospital. 

The officer escorted the car to Norwalk Hospital, where Myrick died at 1:39 a.m. 

The investigation into the shooting and melee determined that a large number of Brotherhood Gang members from Bridgeport and Norwalk were at Rumors Café that night. They had an ongoing turf war with Thompson over the South Main Street and Grove Street area for drug trafficking, according to police. 

Thompson left Rumors Café and was about to get in his vehicle with Sylmar Brimm, aka "Vernon Brimm," when two males at the corner of Sonny’s Pizza opened fired on Thompson as he entered the driver seat, police said. 

Evidence shows Thompson fired several rounds back through the front windshield and attempted to drive off but crashed into a parked car across the street on West Avenue, according to police.

The gunfire continued from several directions as Thompson and Brimm fled the car on foot leaving Myrick behind, police said. A male witness jumped in the car to drive Myrick to the hospital once the gunfire ended. 

A total of 37 cartridge casings from four different caliber firearms and five different 9mm firearms were collected at the scene, police said. 

Very little information was received in regards to the killing of Myrick, and Thompson did not cooperate with the investigation, according to police. 

In 1998, Thompson was interviewed while at the Brooklyn Correctional Center in Connecticut. He told investigators that he did not fire a weapon that night even though he had his 9mm with him, police said. Thompson also said that he knew the identity of the "shooter," but would not reveal it, telling police that there had been several attempts on his life and he wasn't going to talk, according to police.

Thompson said that the “Boss” of the Brotherhood gave the order to kill Thompson to the leader of the Bridgeport Brotherhood Chapter who in turn forwarded the order to the Norwalk Brotherhood, police said. 

Thompson also said that he has tried to “get” the shooter three times but he kept getting away, according to police. Thompson was incarcerated from 1994 until his deportation to Jamaica in 2000. 

The homicide remains unsolved. Anybody with information is asked to contact Weisgerber at 203-854-3028 or aweisgerber@norwalkct.org. Anonymous Internet tips can be sent through the Norwalk police website at: www.norwalkpd.com. Anonymous text tips can be submitted by typing “NPD” into the text field, followed by the message and sending it to CRIMES (274637).

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