Family and friends came together to remember a Bloomfield man shot and killed in Hartford earlier this month at a vigil Thursday. His death comes at a time when homicides have spiked in the city.
“I know you’re a mother that loved your son,” Reverend Henry Brown said.
Solemn prayers are being given to the mother of 24-year-old Jordan Phipps. He's known to his loved ones as “Two-Three,” taking the numbers from the player he idolized, Michael Jordan.
“He’s resting with the book of God right now. The book of Abraham,” Brown said.
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Family and friends gathering for a Mothers United Against Violence vigil held in Windsor at the request of the family, who didn’t want to be at the scene of his murder in Hartford.
Brown provided spiritual comfort for an upcoming funeral service.
“The spirit that was within him is now with God,” he said.
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Phipps was killed the morning of Aug. 6 on Wethersfield Avenue, one of three people killed in separate shootings in Hartford that day. Police charged Chan Williams-Bey in connection with Phipps’s murder.
Officers said Williams-Bey was out on bond for other crimes when the shooting happened. That fact angered Brown.
“Something’s got to be done better so known felons … people that we know, don’t kill people,” he said.
Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, on the day of the deadly shootings, sounded frustrated as well.
“I’m angry this person was not in jail. I’m angry this person was out in the community and able to continue to commit acts of violence that take people’s lives and traumatize the community,” Bronin said.
The string of homicides during the month of August is raising questions about how police are addressing the violence.
In a statement, Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody said his department is working closely with various state and federal law enforcement agencies, saying in part:
“This is an all-hands-on-deck effort for our team, and we’re using every tool and bringing every resource to bear, because that’s what our community deserves.”
For the Phipps family, it wasn’t enough after losing Jordan. Instead, there’s now a push for accountability with Brown encouraging them to go to court to see Williams-Bey.
“Every day that he goes to court, you be right there. You be right there to let the judge and prosecutors see your face,” Brown said.
The family declined to speak about Jordan, saying they didn’t feel ready yet and were still processing the loss.
Williams-Bey remains in jail on a $5 million bond.
