By Christopher J. Lyons
July 31st, 2011 Hartford Police received reports of shots fired on Benton street in the Barry Square section of Hartford. Police searched the area without results. Approximately two hours later, police received a second call from a tenant of the address of 175 Benton street. Police were told that a man was lying on the back porch, bleeding and not moving. Police responded and found the body of 20 y/o East Hartford resident, Christopher Fiorentino. Fiorentino had been shot in the left side, was unresponsive and not breathing. His lips were purple and he was pronounced dead on scene. Police also found the vehicle belonging to this victim parked on Benton Street with the rear window shot out.
Police canvassed the neighborhood and found several people who heard gunshots. They told police that they were either too afraid to investigate further or that gunfire was commonplace and they didn’t pay attention to them.
There were no eyewitnesses to this crime that came forward, no suspects or persons of interest were identified. Hartford Police did receive information from two sources , the Hartford Crime Stoppers tip line received calls after the murder had been made known through the media that identified persons of interest. The persons named were young men who lived in the neighborhood where the murder took place. Several of them had violent criminal histories already and some are incarcerated for other crimes. Police also received information from sources inside of correctional institutions. Information gained from the inside told police that people were talking about the crime bragging that no one would ever talk about the murder and it would never be solved. Police have a listing of potentially strong persons of interest.
Police need the assistance of the public to close this case. The murder of Christopher Fiorentino is nearly four years old. He was a young man and his life was just beginning.
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