One dead after Hartford shooting leads to exchange of gunfire, crash on I-84
One person is dead after a shooting in Hartford led to an exchange of gunfire and a crash on Interstate 84 that shut down parts of the highway during the busy Friday evening commute.
The Hartford Police Department was dispatched to the 100 block of Newfield Avenue around 1:55 p.m. on Friday on a report of a man suffering from a gunshot wound. Officers located the victim, a man in his 20s, at the scene suffering for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. He was transported to Hartford Hospital where he was listed in stable condition on Friday afternoon.
Hartford police learned that two vehicles were involved in the shooting and fled the scene, Hartford Lt. Aaron Boisvert said during the press conference Friday. The two cars ended up on I-84 eastbound where they were exchanging gunfire. There was another vehicle not involved that was struck by the vehicles. One of the suspect vehicles crash. Two people were located inside the vehicle unresponsive, according to Boisvert.
“It was confirmed that there were shots fired between two vehicles,” Trooper Pedro Muniz said during a press conference on Friday evening. “Two parties were injured. One was fatally wounded and another was transported to an area hospital. The extent of those injuries is unknown at this time.”
The second vehicle fled the scene, Muniz said. State police did not have information about the second vehicle as of Friday evening.
The incident is following four shootings in Hartford since Wednesday, including a double homicide in the area of Park and Hazel streets early Friday morning.
“This is highly unusual. I mean last year was a big year,” Boisvert said during the press conference Friday. “We are already ahead of where we were at this time last year. We didn’t start off that way. It is a little sad that we ended up this way.”
Boisvert added that the recent attacks appear to be up close and personal for the most part.
“These are situations that at one time would have been a fistfight or an argument, now it’s going right to gunfire,” he said.
House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, said Friday in a statement that, “This is a crisis that can no longer be ignored.
Law enforcement officers are doing everything they can, and as we saw this week in West Hartford, risking their lives in the process. Residents in our cities and surrounding communities are frustrated if not frightened,” he said.
“I fear that we’ll continue to see this type of extreme criminal activity until the General Assembly and Governor Lamont say ‘enough is enough’ and let these individuals know Connecticut won’t stand for this dangerous behavior.”
The Hartford Police Major Crimes and Crime Scene Divisions are handling the Newfield Avenue incident, and the Connecticut State Police are investigating the incident in I-84.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the Hartford Police Department Tip Line at 860-722-TIPS (8477).
