Hartford

Hartford Couple Shot to Death in Dispute Over Dog: Police

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A dispute between neighbors over a dog led to the shooting deaths of two people in Hartford Sunday night, according to police.

The shooting happened in the driveway of a home at 67 Franklin Avenue just after 9 p.m.

Arriving officers found three shooting victims. Two were pronounced dead at the scene.

The victims were identified as 39-year-old Chase Garrett and 27-year-old Christina Dang. Police believe the two lived together in an apartment at 67 Franklin Avenue, where the shooting took place.

Garrett and Dang were a couple and leave behind a 4-month-old child, according to family members.

The third victim was rushed to the hospital and remained in critical condition Monday, police said. The injured woman's identity has not been released, but police said she lived at the same address as the other victims.

NBC Connecticut spoke with Dang’s sister and cousin who live in Kentucky. They say Dang and Garrett moved to Hartford to be closer to Garrett’s family and raise their newborn baby.

The escalation of a neighbor dispute over a dog is believed to be have been the cause of the double homicide. A 4-month-old was left orphaned and is now in the care of the DCF as they investigate the incident.

“She just had him in February and she was trying to do better for herself and for her family,” said Dang's cousin, Olivia Anderson.

The baby is now in DCF custody, according to police.

“Christina was my baby sister. She was a beautiful soul full of life. She was a mother to a four-month-old Chosen and she lost her life over a senseless argument,” Julie Dang said. “It’s hard for a child to lose two parents on the same night and on Father’s Day, a day that should be loved and, you know.”

Police say they have identified a person of interest in the shooting. They located a vehicle that may have been driven away from the scene by the person of interest, police said. Investigators are working to track down the person of interest.

According to Police Chief Jason Thody, the shooting appears to have been a minor dispute about a dog that escalated and ended in gunfire.

Bronin said it is a troubling trend in the city.

"Very personal disputes -- minor personal disputes -- escalating with incredible speed into violence, and the presence of guns turns those disputes fatal," Bronin said.

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