Police Make Arrest In Homicide Of Hartford 3-Year-Old

HARTFORD, CT — Hartford police have arrested a man in the shooting death of a 3-year-old boy on Nelson Street earlier this month, according to WTNH. Police believe the shooting is connected to the homicide of a 16-year-old hours later on Magnolia Street on Saturday, April 11.

Police said the 3-year-old boy, Randell Jones, was an unintended target in a drive-by shooting.

Police said a passenger in a black Honda Accord pulled alongside another vehicle and began firing shots, apparently at a male passenger who fled the scene following the shooting, NBC Connecticut reported. The boy was taken to the hospital where he later died due to his injuries.

A car believed to be used in the shooting was reported stolen out of Windsor Locks and later located by police.

Following a week of investigation, police identified Jaziah Smith, 19, as a suspect in the homicide of the Randell Jones and applied for an arrest warrant. He was taken into custody on a charge of murder Monday morning and held on $1.75 million bond, according to FOX 61.

The 16-year-old shot and killed hours later on the evening of April 11 was Ja'Mari Preston, a student at a Capitol Region Education Council school. Police have not made an arrest in Preston's death.

A crowd of more than 100 gathered for a vigil to demand an end to the violence on Monday, April 12, according to The Hartford Courant. The vigil was organized by Mothers United Against Violence and assembled near La Caribena Grocery at 175 Nelson St.

"Our whole city's heart breaks for the families of this little boy and this young man. These are crimes that wound our entire community," Mayor Luke Bronin said during a press conference, WTNH reported. "I am heartbroken and I am angry."

See related: Community Demands End To Violence After Toddler's Shooting Death

Child 3, Shot, Killed In Hartford Identified: UPDATE