Enfield man accused of selling assault gun used in Feb. threat in Manchester

Skyler Frazer, Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
·3 min read

Mar. 20—MANCHESTER — Police say they have arrested a man accused of illegally selling an assault weapon to another man, who is accused of threatening a woman with it weeks ago.

Edwin F. Howard, 40, of Enfield was charged March 12 with criminal possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of an assault weapon, sale of an assault weapon, stealing a firearm, and conspiracy to commit each of those crimes.

He was released on $100,000 bond and is next scheduled to appear in Manchester Superior Court on May 4.

GUN CHARGES

DEFENDANT: Edwin F. Howard, 40, of Enfield

CHARGES: Criminal possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of an assault weapon, sale of an assault weapon, stealing a firearm, and conspiracy to commit each of those crimes

STATUS: Free on $100,000 bond

CO-DEFENDANT: Cori Winston, 24, of New Britain, accused of threatening a woman with an assault weapon bought from Howard Feb. 25 in Manchester

Police believe Howard is the man who sold Cori Winston, 24, of New Britain, the gun he is accused of using to threaten a woman in Manchester on Feb. 25.

During that incident, police said, they received a call reporting that Winston threatened a woman with a gun while accusing her of stealing money from him the night before.

Police say they located Winston walking toward a luxury sport-utility vehicle in the Forest Street area and, in the vehicle, spotted the barrel of a rifle sticking out of a duffel bag behind the driver seat.

While securing the weapon, a Norinco MAC 90 39-mm assault rifle, officers found a round in the firing chamber, police say. Officers say they also found two loaded, 30-round magazines for the weapon in the duffel bag.

The gun has been reported stolen in Georgia, police say.

Police say they also found 1.7 ounces of marijuana and materials related to distribution of marijuana in the vehicle.

In an affidavit summarizing the evidence against Howard, police say Winston told them after he was arrested that he had bought the rifle and some cannabis from someone at a gas station a few weeks before the incident. He said he had never fired the weapon.

Police then examined Winston's phone and found pictures and text messages related to the sale of the rifle dating from February. Using those messages, police tracked Winston's vehicle throughout the day the rifle sale was supposed to occur, according to the text messages. Through cameras and surveillance resources, police tracked Winston's vehicle to a parking lot in Enfield.

Police also traced the phone number that had been communicating with Winston, which turned out to belong to Howard. His phone had a Georgia area code. In addition, Enfield police told Manchester police that when Howard was charged with reckless, driving in Enfield late last year, he had a Georgia license.

Howard is a convicted felon with prior charges including armed robbery and drug sales, police say, adding that he has a long arrest record in Georgia for incidents related to murder and kidnapping.

For updates on Manchester and Bolton, follow Skyler Frazer on Twitter: @SkyFraCT, Facebook: SkyFraCT, and Instagram: SkylerFrazerJI to stay updated on his latest articles.

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