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Hartford double homicide sparked by dispute over dog: Police

Police said two of the gunshot victims were pronounced dead at the scene on Franklin Avenue.

HARTFORD, Conn. — Two people are dead and another was injured after a triple shooting Hartford police said was fueled by a feud over a dog.

The shooting happened just after 9 p.m. outside an apartment building on Franklin Avenue, a short distance away from Maple Avenue and Hartford Hospital.

"Preliminary investigation shows that this was a personal neighbor dispute over a dog," said Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody.

Christina Dang, 27, and the man she lived with, 39-year-old Chase Garrett, were shot to death after Garrett reportedly shot at a neighbor. The neighbor's dog had reportedly scratched Dang, according to another neighbor who asked not to be identified.

RELATED: Police: 1 dead, 8 wounded in Harlem shooting

The dog's owner, a woman in her 20s, was rushed to the hospital for treatment. Police said she underwent surgery for her injuries and is listed in critical condition as of Monday morning. 

"They started arguing and they went inside and then they came outside and somebody got shot," said the anonymous neighbor.

The neighbor told FOX61 that right after Garrett shot his next-door neighbor, he and Dang were shot by someone else, while Dang was holding their 6-month-old child.

Thody said that the Department of Children and Families (DCF) came in and now has custody of the child.

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According to investigators, a suspect vehicle was quickly found by officers and a fourth person who police believe was at the scene has also been identified. 

"Another example of a very personal dispute that escalated into violence, unnecessarily," said Thody during a press conference regarding the shooting. "[...] We have to find better ways to resolve our conflicts in non-violent ways and deescalate, and have some patience." 

Thody said situations like the one that happened Sunday night are tragic and hard for the officers because the situations are hard to predict and prevent. 

RELATED: 4 shot, 1 dead during a violent Wednesday night in New Haven

There have already been 20 homicides in Hartford in 2022, police said. There were 19 all last year.

"So in 2012, on Oct. 20, my only child was Hartford's 20th homicide [of the year]," said Janet Rice, an anti-gun violence advocate from Hartford. "That was 55 days before Sandy Hook."

Rice was part of a community violence intervention group's round table at Hartford Public Library on Monday. The group met with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), pushing hard for stronger gun violence legislation and federal funding.

"We need to help these young guys with better ways of conflict resolution," Rice said.

Her son was Shane Oliver. Since his death, she's also lost a nephew and a godson to gun violence. Rice now works in behavioral health.

"Once that bullet leaves the chamber and it hits a major artery and that person dies, that's forever," Rice emphasized.

Police said they do have the vehicle of the person they believe is responsible for killing the couple, and, they have that person of interest squarely on their radar.

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Jareliz Diaz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jdiaz@fox61.com

Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.  

Tony Terzi is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at tterzi@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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