At a memorial on New Britain Avenue, there are still signs of mourning for deaths of 20-year-old Jessiah Mercado and 4-month-old Messiah Diaz. The mother and son were killed after a shooting nearby Tuesday afternoon with another man injured, but expected to survive. Hartford Police say someone in a vehicle pulled up to the car they were in and opened fire.
“It’s a horrible tragedy and as a dad, I can’t stop thinking about that baby who lost their life. It’s just heartbreaking. It’s devastating. It should never happen,” Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam said.
He says the deaths are a tragedy requiring multiple approaches. First was getting justice by finding the shooter. Hartford Police identified 23-year-old Lance Morales as a suspect. He was arrested Saturday by U.S. Marshals at a home in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Police say when he returns to Connecticut, he’ll face murder and assault charges. The mayor says the police work was great with video evidence playing a key role.
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“We got video evidence of this crime and what we found in the City of Hartford is that when we get video evidence of a crime, the solvability rate goes up 472 percent,” he said.
Mayor Arulampalam says securing services for the victim’s family was also crucial through community partners.
“There were already all four of our violence prevention nonprofits were there on the scene with street teams, ten, 15 people deep working with the family. Working to de-escalate tension in the room making sure there weren’t retaliatory killings coming out of this,” he said.
He says these services help break cycles of violence in the city, especially after another drive-by shooting death on Seymour Street happening over the weekend. He encourages the public to either volunteer with or donate to community nonprofits.
“That work on the street of de-escalating violence, of creating peace in the midst of trauma, of creatin healing in the midst of horrible incidents like this,” he said.
Mayor Arulampalam also sending a clear message about holding people accountability.
“If you commit a heinous act in the city of Hartford, even if you try to flee the state, we will find you and bring you to justice,” he said.
There is a community vigil planned for the mother and son on Tuesday.
