Hartford police and community leaders are scrambling to contain what they call a cycle of group-related, retaliatory violence.
"This is deeply painful for our whole city," says Mayor Luke Bronin, adding that the incidents started a few weeks ago.
The Hartford Police Dept. says the shootings are targeted, often connected to each other and involve disputes over what some might consider to be minor issues.
"It could be something as small as a social media post," says Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody, "or, someone seeing someone drive by and don't think that they belong in that area."
Police aren't specifying which incidents are related to the surge, citing their ongoing investigation. The mayor says that the early Thursday morning shooting of a 15-year-old boy on Pershing St. was targeted. The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.
Peacebuilders representing the COMPASS Youth Collaborative are working with victims, other community members and even potential perpatrators to try and cool things down.
"This work is really hard," says COMPASS CEO Jacquelyn Santiago Nazario. "We've been connecting kids to social work, to education, to other opportunities. Removing them from situations. Using a lot of cognitive behavioral therapy in order to make sure that kids 'pause' before they make impulsive decisions."
Chief Thody adds that those believed to be involved in the violence have been in trouble with the law before:
"These are individuals that are very well known to us. So, we're working very closely with our parole, probation, Dept. of Corrections, our federal partners... along with all of our intelligence that we're gathering through our technology, our cameras, our social media screenings. All of that we're bringing to bear to try to prevent and continue to impact the cycle of violence."
