Two dead, including 3 year old, in pair of Hartford shootings

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    HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) — Two people are dead, including a three year old boy, after a pair of shootings that happened about a mile apart Saturday in Hartford.

The city is reeling from these killings.

Both shooting victims are boys, ages three and sixteen.

We’re learning that the capital city is deploying all of its resources to curb the violence.

“Sad tragedy of a young, innocent kid life being taken away,” Hartford resident Thomas Lumpkin tells us.

The first shooting happened around 2:20 p.m. on the 100 block of Nelson Street.

Officers initially responded to the area after being alerted to a ShotSpotter activation.

As they were on scene, investigators were notified that a 3 year old boy suffering from a gunshot wound had arrived at an area hospital.

Police say the boy, later identified as Rondell Jones of Enfield Street, eventually died from his injuries.

Dash camera footage obtained by police showed that a black Honda Accord had stopped along side another vehicle on Nelson Street prior to the shooting.

That’s when the passenger in the Accord fired several shots at the opposite vehicle before taking off.

The vehicle involved in the shooting was later found unoccupied.

Police said that the car had been reported stolen out of Windsor Locks.

After the shots were fired, the victim’s vehicle headed west down Nelson Street.

The intended target appeared to be a male passenger and had fled the scene on foot after the shooting.

While police investigated the Nelson Street shooting, Eyewitness News watched police jump into high gear.

Our camera captured the moment ShotSpotter alerted police of another shooting on Magnolia Street, which was less than a mile away.

“Upon arrival, a male victim was located unresponsive,” Hartford Police Lt. Aaron Boisvert explained.

Police said crews rushed two teenage boys to the hospital.

16-year-old Jamari Preston of New Britain died from the shooting, while the other victim’s injuries are unknown.

We learned multiple shooters and firearms, including a rifle, were involved.

Throughout the afternoon, sirens rang out in the capital city.

The violence seen today typically is common during warmer weather.

Prior to the shootings, the city’s top cop shared the department already staged officers throughout, both plain clothes and uniformed.

“We had preplanned details tonight with the Department of Motor Vehicle and with the Connecticut State Police so they are now out there with us as well,” Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody said.

Hartford Police say the officers’ mission will focus on any potential retaliation.

Police tell us there’s no indication the shootings are related at this hour.

As for the Nelson Street shooting, police are looking for multiple suspects in that case.

Police say it appears the boy sat in a vehicle with his siblings when the shooting occurred.

We do know the mother was in the car with her children, ages three, four and five.

“I am heartbroken and I am angry,” Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said during a press conference Saturday night.

Senator Chris Murphy also weighed in Saturday, saying:

“The response from government to this cannot be nothing. A 3 year old is dead. Do not let yourself believe this is inevitable. And the flow of illegal guns into places like Hartford is made possible by the holes in our background checks system.”

Police are still looking into whether these shootings are related.

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