HARTFORD -- Police said the suspect in a fatal shooting outside the Hartford Walmart turned himself in Tuesday morning, but he was let go not long after.
Police said Tuesday morning they were charging Kenneth Reid, 26, of Windsor, with murder and that he was being held on $1.5 million bond. However, at his arraignment later Tuesday the judge said there was not probable cause to charge him with murder, so the bond was erased. He was released on a promise to appear in court April 5 for his new arraignment, at which time police will have to produce enough evidence to substantiate the murder charge.
Larry Williams, 34, of New Britain, was shot outside the Walmart Monday evening around 4:10 p.m. He was found laying on the ground next to a pick-up truck suffering three shots to the abdomen.
Williams was taken to the hospital and died around 4 a.m. Tuesday.
Police said the victim told them he had met the suspect to make a deal for marijuana, but his mother and best friend say the deal was in fact over an expensive pair of sunglasses costing more than a thousand dollars.
Police were able to use security footage from Walmart to determine there were multiple shots fired.
Police said Reid called police around 7:30 p.m. to tell them he had shot Williams in self defense during the drug deal. He told officers there was a shotgun inside his vehicle that Williams used against him. Reid also told officer the 9mm handgun used in the shooting was at his cousin’s apartment at 367 Farmington Ave. Police said Reid has a valid Connecticut firearms permit.
Police say they expect to make more arrests based on the surveillance video, but that this was not random and the public is not in danger.