Hartford is experiencing a dramatic spike in nonfatal shootings, leaving police and community leaders scrambling to stanch bloodshed they suspect is inextricably linked to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
There have been 36 shootings with injuries over the past six weeks, more than double what Hartford experienced during the same period in any of the past three years, according to police data.
More than one-third of those shootings have involved more than one victim and many resulted in serious injuries.
Those numbers don’t include the fatal shootings of 24-year-old basketball standout Jaqhawn Walters and 21-year-old Alexis Ortiz just one day apart last month.