Hartford man sentenced to prison for 2021 murder of 3-year-old child

A Hartford man has been sentenced to prison after being found guilty of the 2021 murder of a 3-year-old child.

A jury found 22-year-old Jaziah Smith guilty of shooting and killing Randell Jones, Jr. in September.

Smith was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Tuesday.

The 3-year-old was in the back seat of his mother's car with his two siblings at Nelson Street and Garden Street on April 10, 2021 when a car pulled up alongside them and Smith opened fire at the car.

Randell was struck by gunfire. His mother rushed him to the hospital, where he died. No one else in the car was injured.

A passenger in the car was Smith's intended target, police said at the time.

“This verdict sends a message to offenders that if you commit gun violence in our community, we will be working closely with the Hartford Police Department and other law enforcement officials to make sure you are held accountable,” Hartford State's Attorney Sharmese Walcott said in a statement.