On the evening of May 4, 2024, 19-year-old Lavante Tae Jaylan Brown of Hartford was shot and killed after gunfire erupted at a small house party in an apartment building on Hendricxsen Avenue. About 10 to 12 young people attended the gathering; most reportedly knew one another. Multiple 911 calls came in around 10:30 p.m., and police found Lavante and 16-year-old Aydin Davis of Bloomfield unresponsive in the building’s stairwell. Both were taken to Hartford Hospital and pronounced dead.

Lavante was a student at Weaver High School, remembered by staff as quiet and intelligent and on track to graduate in the spring. Authorities interviewed several party attendees, who were reported cooperative, and community groups stepped in to support the grieving families. On May 29, 2024, law enforcement arrested 25-year-old James Chaney of Plainville and charged him with murder and reckless endangerment; he was held on $1 million bond.

If anyone at the party or nearby that night has information that could help the investigation, please come forward.