On a summer afternoon in Vernon, Connecticut, a dispute over a $10 pool pass at a Motel 6 on Hartford Turnpike ended with the motel owner, 30-year-old Zeshan Chaudhry, shot and killed. The shooting occurred on June 27, 2021, after Chaudhry, who was engaged to be married, asked a couple to leave following an argument about the pool fee. The man identified as Alvin Waugh allegedly left the area, returned with a handgun, and shot Chaudhry multiple times in front of other guests, including children. Chaudhry was treated by emergency medical services at the scene and later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Waugh, 31 and from Hartford, fled into nearby woods but was contacted by police by cellphone and surrendered. He was arrested on charges that included murder, criminal use of a weapon, carrying a firearm without a permit, and tampering with physical evidence; investigators said the gun was a homemade ghost gun. The killing drew condemnation from community and civil rights groups, and Chaudhry’s family held vigils and rallies seeking justice. Was anyone at the motel that day who can add details about the confrontation or what led up to it?