On Tuesday afternoon, September 20, 2022, 18-year-old Ernesto Morales was shot on Broad Street in Hartford and later died of his wounds at a local hospital. The shooting happened about 3:30 p.m. near the state Capitol; a second man in his twenties was also wounded but sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

Officers were alerted by the city’s ShotSpotter system and, when they arrived at the 600 block of Broad Street, found about 20 shell casings but no victims. Morales and the other victim arrived at the hospital by their own means. The Hartford Police Major Crimes and Crime Scene divisions described the incident as a targeted crime and began canvassing the area and reviewing surveillance footage.

The shooting was counted as Hartford’s 28th homicide of the year and prompted vigils by community anti-violence groups. The investigation remains ongoing; no arrests have been announced and no suspects have been publicly identified. If anyone has information about what happened on Broad Street that afternoon, please come forward.