Two families and two school communities are mourning the loss of two teenagers killed in a shooting Saturday night in Hartford.
Lt. Aaron Boisvert said the shooting unfolded during a house party inside an apartment at Dillon Place on Hendricxson Avenue around 10:30 p.m.
“The backstory is, there was a small house party, small gathering … 10-12 people. Most of the people there were known to each other. Whatever happened occurred between the people inside that apartment,” he said.
Aydin Davis, 16, and Lavante Brown, 19, were found with gunshot wounds in the stairwell of one of the apartment buildings. They were rushed to Hartford Hospital where they were pronounced dead.
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Boisvert said of the dozen people at the party, they’ve interviewed several. No arrests have yet been made.
“We have spoken to several of those people, they are very cooperative, so, just a matter now of getting interviews and doing our homework. The case is moving forward pretty quickly,” Boisvert added.
Neither teen lived at the apartment complex, and were only there for the party, police said.
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Rev. Henry Brown from Mothers United Against Violence said he’s spoken to both families. The organization is planning vigils for the teens this week.
“They are beyond repair,” Rev. Brown said. “They can’t believe this happened. It’s still a state of shock. One mother is trying to do other things to try and distract her mind from it, running errands and things of that nature, but when she comes home, she’s back to the reality that it’s a nightmare. One mother -- she just is devastated beyond repair, don’t want to talk right now.”
Both teens attended high schools in Hartford.
Davis was a student at the University High School of Science and Engineering.
“He made a big impression on our community and his smile and playful spirit will be sorely missed,” the school said in a statement.
Brown attended Weaver High School, and staff there are remembering him as “a quiet but intelligent student on track to graduate in the spring. He was looking forward to graduation.”
The district’s Crisis Intervention Team is on hand to help students and faculty deal with the losses.
“Both should be in school today. [They’re] never going to be in school again, never going to be around their families again,” Rev. Brown said. “Two kids, at the same time. It’s just mind-boggling.”
