x
Breaking News
More () »

Two people killed as gunfire erupts at Hartford house party

HARTFORD – Gunfire erupted at a Hartford house party last night, leaving two people dead and another wounded. The city’s ShotSpotter system activate...

HARTFORD - Gunfire erupted at a Hartford house party last night, leaving two people dead and another wounded.

The city's ShotSpotter system activated twice about 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, once indicating 10 gunshots, then again indicating 12 gunshots. in the area of Hillside Avenue, near Flatbush Avenue in the city's "Behind the Rocks" neighborhood. The shots were fired at a house party with dozens of people outside in the yard. Major Crimes Lieutenant Paul Cicero says police found a chaotic scene.

"People are yelling, screaming. There's potential suspects there, so an armed suspect may still be there--or suspects."

They did not immediately find a suspect, but did find two victims: 28-year-old Joshua Steele of Hartford and 34-year-old Kevin Campbell of Windsor, both with multiple gunshot wounds. They were taken to Hartford Hospital but died of their wounds. Another man, 24-year-old Alex Roman, was shot in the foot. He managed to run a couple of blocks and was then taken to Saint Francis Hospital where he is listed in stable condition.

Brenda Tirado was a guest at the party, but left well before the shooting because it was getting a bit too rowdy for her.

"A lot of people, a lot of commotion, a lot of teenagers. It was very busy", she said. "I chose to leave at around 11:30 and now I wake up and I see this mess I'm like, what's going on?"

Tirado says there are often parties in the neighborhood, but they've never led to anything like this.

But the party also means that there were numerous witnesses that may be able to provide crucial information. Police were talking to party guests on Sunday. Their initial investigation and crime scene analysis indicates there was just one shooter. They also say they believe the shooting was not random, and the victims were targeted.

Hillside Avenue was closed for several hours, from Catherine St to Flatbush Avenue.

Before You Leave, Check This Out