Devonte Gardner, 28, of Waterbury, was fatally shot in East Hartford on the evening of September 14, 2022. Officers responding to reports of gunfire found him about 7:45 p.m. near the intersection of Park Avenue and Garden Street; he was lying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds, given life-saving measures on scene, then taken to Hartford Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators described the probe as very active and later identified a person of interest. On October 30, 2022, police attempted to stop 21-year-old Mekhi Thompson as he drove a stolen vehicle on Park Avenue. The stop turned into a high-speed chase into Hartford’s North End; Thompson abandoned the car and was taken into custody. Officers recovered a Glock 9mm handgun in the vehicle that had been illegally converted to fully automatic fire and was loaded with a 30-round high-capacity magazine. Thompson was on probation for a 2019 first-degree assault with a firearm conviction and was charged with multiple new offenses, including motor vehicle, larceny and firearm-related counts.

Does anyone have information about Gardner’s activities that evening or who may have been with him near Park Avenue and Garden Street?