Police said that two teenagers were shot and are dead after they forced their way into a home in East Hartford. The two teens entered the home and were shot in the living room, according to officials, and just after midnight, the police were called to the home.
They have been identified by police as Isaiah Jose Lopez and Isaiah Miguel Nevarez, one of them was a 16-year-old from Hartford and the other was a 15-year-old from Meriden.
Both teens were rushed to nearby hospitals where they were pronounced dead, the police said.
Police said that the two teens physically attacked the resident after breaking into the home, and the resident was armed with a handgun and fired, while he also suffered minor injuries in the attack. Officials said that the gun was registered to the resident and he is cooperating with police.
Officer Marc Caruso of the East Hartford Police Department said: “As of this time the only weapon recovered on scene was the homeowners.”
The police are still trying to determine what led up to the incident, but for now, they are describing it as a “targeted home invasion.”
“It appears as though the homeowner had no knowledge of his attackers. We’re looking into several possibilities. The detectives are tracking down leads at this time,” said Caruso.
There is no “stand your ground law” in Connecticut. A person must first try to get away from the threat before using deadly force, said Kenneth Gray, a former FBI agent and senior lecturer at the University of New Haven.
“You are justified in using self-defense to include a firearm if you fear for your life or the life of a third person but it’s not totally unrestricted. By that I mean if the person is threatening you, you can use deadly force but if you have other options for instance if you can run away, you have to run away,” he added.
“We’re treating this as a home invasion type incident where two males came into the home. And it appears to be a case of self-defense at this time, where the homeowner was a legal owner of the firearm,” said Caruso.
Regarding their former students’ deaths, the Hartford Public Schools released a statement:
“On Thursday, June 16, 2022, we were informed of the deaths of two former Hartford Public School students. This is an unfortunate and tragic incident, and we are deeply saddened by the loss of members of our Hartford Public Schools community. We are prepared to provide proper support and resources for students and staff affected by this tragedy. Our thoughts are with our former students’ families, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Detective Dan Ortiz at 860-291-7669 or call the East Hartford Police Anonymous Tip Line at 860-289-9134.”