HARTFORD -- A teenager is in police custody after he allegedly fatally stabbed his great-uncle Monday afternoon.
Hartford Police said a 17-year-old nephew stabbed his great-uncle, Albert Byrd, in the stomach. The 71-year-old died less than an hour after he was taken to Hartford Hospital, according to police.
Police were called to the Martin Luther King Apartments, in the city’s South End, around 1:30 p.m. Police said the suspect and Byrd both lived together at 101 Van Block Avenue where the stabbing occurred.
Police said other family members were in the home at the time and attempted to stop the altercation.
The suspect was arrested and taken into custody. Police took the knife used in the stabbing from the scene as evidence.
"I can tell you how devastated his mother is and I can tell you how devastated his family is," Community activist Rev. Henry Brown said.
Brown said he knew the family and described the suspect as a good kid.
Connecticut police said the 17-year-old was formally charged with murder in connection with the stabbing death.
Hartford Police are investigating what led to the stabbing. They said suspect and victim lived in the same apartment. Other relatives in the home at the time tried to stop the stabbing but could not.
"We’re looking into other issues that may be going on or may have complicated how the suspect was behaving," Deputy Chief Brian Foley said. "Obviously the family and the neighborhood's a little shaken up that this would happen."
Brown pointing out that there have been 28 homicides in Hartford, this year. Two of those homicides occurred in the last three days.
"Enough is enough," he said.
Friday, 45-year-old Edgardo Galindez of Hartford was shot multiple times near 93 Bond Street in the city's south end, according to police. Police said they're using surveillance footage in their investigation and have identified a possible suspect.
"If you see something say something," Rev. Brown said. "The only way we can change this is we have to talk about these things and bring it to fruition, what’s going on."
The suspect's name has not been made public.
The motive remains under investigation.