Third arrest made in 2019 murder of Hartford teen, police say

A third person has been arrested and charged in the murder of 17-year-old Usher Hanns, who was killed a year ago in Hartford when drive-by shooters opened fire on a crowded outdoor party.

The suspect was 17 years old at the time of the shooting, so police would not immediately release information about the suspect or their alleged involvement in the shooting that also wounded three other people.

The teen was expected to appear Thursday morning for a juvenile hearing before being charged as an adult and transferred to Hartford Superior Court, where their name and case would be made public, police said.

This summer, detectives charged Diondre Johnson, 19, and Jaden Davis, 20, with Usher’s killing and indicated they planned to make a third arrest.

They presented a case that tied Usher’s death to a series of retaliatory shootings last year between rival groups of teens, including the daytime shootout and car chase that ended in the death of bystander and 71-year-old grandmother Yvonne Smith last October.

Usher was killed just after 9:20 p.m. Sept. 1, 2019, when a car pulled up alongside a crowded outdoor party near 86 Edgewood St. and opened fire. Usher was hit in the head, another man in the leg, another man in the ankle and another teen in the hand, constituting a mass shooting.

Johnson and Davis were arrested weeks later on unrelated felony weapons charges and police have said they are suspects in at least 11 other shootings, including two that injured people.

Zach Murdock can be reached at zmurdock@courant.com.

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