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Bystander killed in Hartford shootout, police say

Hartford police vehicle. Photo taken during the wake for Detective Robert "Bobby" Garten on September 15, 2023.
Tyler Russell
/
Connecticut Public
FILE: Hartford Police are say three persons of interest in the shooting.

An early morning shootout between two groups of people left a woman dead and a man injured, Hartford police said Friday.

Shamyria Williams, 23, of Hartford, was an innocent bystander when she was struck by gunfire while sitting inside her car near 40 Cleveland Ave., police said.

“She had nothing to do with any of this,” Lt. Aaron Boisvert told reporters Friday. “Very saddening, disturbing. Shouldn’t have happened.”

Police have not released the name of the man who was injured, who they also identified as a bystander.

Boisvert said HPD had identified three persons of interest in the shooting.

Williams is Hartford’s tenth homicide victim of 2024, Boisvert said. He noted the city had been experiencing a relative lull in summer homicides, with none reported in the month of June.

“That ended last night,” he said. “Let’s hope it was just contained to the Fourth of July weekend. We’ll see.”

The department on Friday was also investigating a double shooting that took place Thursday evening on Seymour Street. In that incident, two men were treated at a local hospital for gunshot wounds.

This story has been updated to correct an address.

Chris Polansky joined Connecticut Public in March 2023 as a general assignment and breaking news reporter based in Hartford. Previously, he’s worked at Utah Public Radio in Logan, Utah, as a general assignment reporter; Lehigh Valley Public Media in Bethlehem, Pa., as an anchor and producer for All Things Considered; and at Public Radio Tulsa in Tulsa, Okla., where he both reported and hosted Morning Edition.

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