David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the FBI, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging SHEROD MANICK, 25, and NYGERE EVANS, 21, both of New Haven, with offenses related to armed robberies in Hamden and East Haven earlier this year.
The indictment was returned on September 1, 2026. Evans, who was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on August 21, 2026, appeared today in New Haven federal court and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He has been detained since his arrest. Manick was arrested and arraigned on September 4, 2026, and is also detained.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in the early morning hours of March 16, 2026, Manick and Evans, brandishing and threatening to use firearms, robbed Dix Convenience located at 1586 Dixwell Avenue in Hamden. Manick and Evans stole approximately $600 in cash, approximately $500 in vape smoking devices, and cannabis products during the robbery. They then took a store employee’s car keys and fled the scene in his car. The vehicle was later located and recovered in New Haven.
It is further alleged that on April 3, 2026, Manick and Evans, brandishing and threatening to use firearms, robbed ZaZa City, a convenience store located at 855 Foxon Road in East Haven. Manick and Evans stole approximately $4,150 in cash and several cannabis products from the store and then fled on foot.
The indictment charges Manick and Evans with one count of conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; two counts of interference with interstate commerce by robbery, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count; and two counts of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violent, an offense that carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of at least seven years.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the FBI New Haven Violent Crime Gang Task Force, the Hamden Police Department, the East Haven Police Department, and the New Haven Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Lembo and Rahul Kale.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Connecticut — U.S. Department of Justice press release.