Keyandre Hightower, a 24-year-old Black / African American male, tragically lost his life on the evening of July 13, 2024, in Bloomfield, Connecticut. The incident that led to his death unfolded at approximately 7:40 p.m. outside a party on Evan Lane. Hightower had reportedly gone to the residence to drop off milk for his child, whom he shared with the mother of the individual who would become his alleged assailant.
After arriving, Hightower asked for a plate of food from the party.
A verbal altercation began when a 17-year-old at the party, later identified as Julius Williams, confronted Hightower and told him to leave the premises. The argument escalated into a physical confrontation. According to witness statements given to the police, Hightower punched the teenager in the face. Immediately following the punch, a single gunshot was heard, and Hightower fell to the ground, having been struck in the neck and upper torso. Despite efforts by medics to perform CPR, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
In the immediate aftermath, police identified and arrested the 17-year-old shooter. The case against Julius Williams, who has since turned 18, was transferred from juvenile to the adult court system. He faces charges of murder and several firearms offenses and is being held on a $1.5 million bond. Another individual, 60-year-old Bridgette Smith of Hartford, was also arrested at the scene. She was charged with tampering with physical evidence and criminal possession of a handgun after she allegedly tried to remove the weapon, a 9mm pistol that had been reported stolen in 1996, from the location of the shooting.
