Bike Enthusiast, Musician Shot Dead

(Updated 1:07 p.m.) With occasional tears and looks off into the distance, employees of the downtown Devil’s Gear Bike Shop remembered Mitchell Dubey Friday as a vegan, straight-edge, punk rocker who was a big-hearted figure at the hub of New Haven’s cycling community. The 23-year-old bike mechanic and musician was shot dead in his apartment the night before.

Dubey worked at the bike shop for the past three years.

When not fixing people’s bikes at the busy downtown shop in Pitkin Plaza, Dubey was also a musician, helping his friends in the Flaming Tsunamis finish a recording.

Police said someone broke into Dubey’s home at 29 Bassett St. at 10:02 p.m. The person shot him in the chest. Dubey died later in the hospital. He shared an apartment with some college students. Police noted that Dubey had no criminal history. The police department’s Major Crimes and Robbery units have launched a homicide investigation.

News of the homicide traveled fast overnight among New Haven’s active cycling community. No one could imagine why someone would hurt him. He was known as a friendly musician who was part of a community that held potluck dinners at underground shows in people’s homes, including his place on Bassett Street.

Matthew Feiner, who owns Devil’s Gear in Pitkin Plaza, was stunned by the crime.

Dubey, originally from Los Angeles, moved to New Haven three years ago, Feiner said. ​“He was traveling with a band. He was a bass player, a guitar player, saxophone, trumpet.” His latest musical project was with the Tsunamis.

A fixture at the Devil’s Gear, Dubey worked as the service manager.

Dubey’s apartment was burglarized last week during the daytime, said David Kahn, manager of the bike shop. The burglar made off with Dubey’s computer, among other items.

“He was pissed,” Kahn recalled. But Dubey quickly shrugged it off, reasoning, ​“At the end of the day, a computer’s not that big a deal,” according to Kahn.

Kahn wondered whether the burglar returned Thursday night and Dubey confronted him. Police Friday were still piecing together what happened from interviews.

On Friday morning, Kahn was still reeling from the loss. With eyes red from crying, Kahn spoke about Dubey in the back room at the Devil’s Gear.

“It’s just unreal,” he said. ​“It doesn’t make me feel good about New Haven.”

Most murders are committed by someone the victim knows, Kahn said. But that doesn’t seem to be the case with this one, he noted. ​“It’s hard to imagine somebody could do that.”

Kahn remembered Dubey would stop in sometimes on his day off and immediately fall into helping customers without complaint. ​“He was always just glad to be useful.”

Dubey had just worked 12 days straight, pitching in to cover for other people, Kahn said. He was looking to begin building bike frames to make that a part of the shop, he said.

Warren Brelsford, a mechanic, was finishing a tune-up on the Bianchi bike Dubey had been working on Thursday. ​“He just made me a mixtape like a day ago,” Brelsford said. Brelsford said he had asked Dubey to put together songs that would inspire him to finish an album he’s been working on with his band.

“He was awesome,” Brelsford said. ​“Funny as hell.”

Kahn said he was glad to be working Friday. ​“It’s good to have something to do and to be with each other,” he said.

Feiner, who was fixing a bike in the front of the shop Friday, said he needed to be at work. Otherwise, ​“it would be the longest day of my life,” he said.

The greatest tragedy is that ​“no parent should outlive their child,” he observed.

Feiner said he’d recently been on the phone with Mitchell’s sister. The Dubey family will be taking a red-eye flight in from California Friday evening.

Dubey’s father won’t be coming. He was injured in a snowboarding accident last year and paralyzed from the neck down. Dubey put together a fundraising concert for his dad several months ago.

Feiner said a memorial service would be planned with the family. The monthly Critical Mass bike ride on Friday evening was going forward in Dubey’s honor. That ride, open to all, kicks off at the flagpole on the Green at 5:30 p.m.

Feiner said Dubey ​“had a presence about him” as a completely genuine person. ​“Anything he said he was doing, he would.”

Dubey never said a bad word about anybody, Feiner said. ​“More people need to be like Mitchell Dubey.”