Prosecutors laid out a jealous-rage case as firefighters filled the courtroom for the arraignment.
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A West Haven man accused of killing Bridgeport firefighter Terrence Cramer inside a Stratford home was ordered held on $3 million bond Monday after a judge called the allegations brutal and first responders packed the courtroom.
The arraignment gave the clearest public account yet of the shooting that killed Cramer, a 41-year-old father of two and nearly 10-year member of the Bridgeport Fire Department. Prosecutors said Jabari Bush, 40, forced his way into the home of an ex-girlfriend before dawn Saturday, found her in bed with Cramer and opened fire. The hearing also showed how deeply the death has shaken Bridgeport’s fire service, with firefighters lining hallways and courthouse steps as the criminal case moved into its first formal stage.
Police were sent to Feeley Street in Stratford at about 1:44 a.m. Saturday on a report of a shooting. Officers found Cramer on the bedroom floor with a gunshot wound to his right inner thigh, according to investigators. Despite emergency care, he was pronounced dead at about 2:12 a.m. The arrest affidavit said a woman in the home told police she woke to find Bush in the bedroom yelling words to the effect of, “You’re here with another man.” She told investigators Bush punched her in the face and that she saw flashes she believed were gunfire. Cramer then said, “I just got shot,” according to the affidavit. By Monday morning, those details were being read in a crowded Superior Court courtroom as Bush stood mostly silent beside defense lawyer Robert Berke.
Prosecutors charged Bush with murder, home invasion, criminal possession of a weapon and unlawful discharge of a firearm. Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney William Weishaupt asked the court to keep the bond high, arguing that the state’s allegations showed a dangerous firearm offender. Judge Robert Golger agreed the facts described by investigators were severe, saying from the bench that the case appeared “particularly brutal” before raising bond from the earlier police-set amount to $3 million. Berke argued for a lower amount and said Bush had long-standing ties to the area, had worked for Metro-North for years and had been preparing to surrender before police stopped him in Derby. Bush was arrested there Saturday afternoon after what police described as a brief vehicle pursuit. No plea was entered at the arraignment, and the case was continued to April 14.
The affidavit sketched a tense personal history in the weeks before the shooting. Investigators said the woman had been in a relationship with Bush for about five years and had lived with him in West Haven before ending the relationship and moving to Stratford. She told police the relationship had stayed on and off at his insistence before she ended it for good in January. In March, she said, Bush resumed contacting her “at a constant rate,” and she tried to block him. Investigators said he also appeared at her workplace and showed up unexpectedly at her home two days before the shooting. A Ring camera captured Bush at the front door several times overnight, the affidavit said, and showed him appearing to lean his body against the door about five minutes before the gunfire. Police said there were no signs of forced entry, and the woman told investigators the door may have been left unlocked.
Outside court, the legal case shared space with raw grief. About 60 firefighters turned out in uniform and plain clothes, filling benches and standing shoulder to shoulder along the walls. Assistant Chief Armando Cora said the department came to support Cramer and his family and to show unity. Jean-Claude Rasuk, a firefighter and friend, described Cramer as “a fireman’s fireman, a great father and a great friend.” Cora said Cramer was fearless, dependable and always willing to help. City officials ordered flags flown at half-staff, and the department said Cramer would be remembered not only as a colleague but as a friend and public servant. His family did not speak publicly after the hearing, but the turnout itself made the department’s message plain.
The case now moves toward Bush’s next scheduled court date on April 14, while Stratford police say the investigation remains active. For Bridgeport firefighters, the immediate focus remains on honoring Cramer, whose death has turned a private act of violence into a public loss for the city.
Author note: Last updated March 31, 2026.