Loved ones and neighbors gathered to remember a Hartford woman struck and killed by a teen driver this week.
Police said the 16-year-old was trying to escape in a stolen car after he was involved in a shootout Thursday.
The teen has been charged with manslaughter in connection to her death.
71-year-old Yvonne Smith was on her way to the corner store, something we’re told the woman did every day, when she was hit.
Hartford police said four people in two cars started shooting at each other at Westland and Garden Streets. Neighbors ran for cover and called 911.
Police are still looking for at least three people involved in the shootout.
At Saturday’s vigil, family members said Smith loved passing out candy on Halloween, so this holiday won’t be the same without her.
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“I loved my mom so much. She was a beautiful person,” Smith’s daughter Bridget said.
“I’ve come by and I’ve talked with Ms. Smith and she was she was such a warm and giving and caring person,” Mayor Luke Bronin said.
Smith’s family members and community leaders say it’s not city officials or police to blame for this violence, but rather the parents of the teen involved in the shootout.
In honor of Smith, a beloved mother and grandmother, they say parents need to teach their kids right from wrong.
“We also need to figure out why a 16-year old kid has a gun, where’s that coming from?” asked another one of Smith’s daughters, Dionne Bentley.
