Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, and South Windsor Police Chief Kristian Lindstrom today announced that SHAMEIK CAMARA, 32, of Hartford, was arrested yesterday on a federal criminal complaint charging him with offenses related to the theft of firearms from a South Windsor warehouse in August.
Following his arrest, Camara appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and was released on a $100,000 bond. A follow-up bond hearing is scheduled for November 1 at 10:30 a.m.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in August 2021, a shipment of 50 Zigana, Model PX-9G2 pistols was stolen from R&L Carriers, a national freight shipping company with a warehouse located at 540 Sullivan Avenue in South Windsor. Even though R&L employees were aware of the theft shortly after it occurred in mid-August, they did not notify law enforcement. Officials at R&L carriers reported the theft to law enforcement on September 16, 2021. Earlier this month, investigators identified Camara after seeing Facebook Marketplace and Offer Up posts selling high-end speakers and sports trading cards that were similar to items stolen from the R&L warehouse at about the same time of the firearm shipment theft.
It is alleged that Camara, a previously convicted felon, possessed one of the stolen firearms at the time of his arrest. Two additional stolen firearms have been recovered by law enforcement.
Camara is charged with receipt and possession of items from an interstate shipment, possession of firearms by a felon, and possession of stolen firearms. Each charge carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
Acting U.S. Attorney Boyle stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the South Windsor Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria del Pilar Gonzalez.
The ATF Boston Field Division and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms industry, have announced a combined reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of persons involved in this theft of firearms. Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact investigators immediately at 860-935-8080 or call 888-ATF-TIPS (888-283-8477), or send an email to ATFTips@atf.gov.
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