On the morning of May 6, 2024, a burst of violence shattered the quiet of a Waterbury, Connecticut neighborhood. Lashawn Nance, a 19-year-old Black / African American male, was on Wood Street when gunfire erupted. Police received reports of a shooting at approximately 10 a.m. and arrived to find a grim scene. Nance had sustained gunshot wounds and was in critical condition.
He was rushed to a local hospital, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead.
The Waterbury Police Department's Major Crimes detectives immediately launched an investigation into the homicide. Believing it to be an isolated incident, they assured the public that there was no broader threat. Their inquiries led them to identify suspects in the fatal shooting. Nearly three weeks later, on May 24, 2024, authorities made their first arrest. Yeanier Osorio-Medina, an 18-year-old from Waterbury, was taken into custody. He faced a slew of serious charges, including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and several firearms-related offenses. He was held on a multi-million dollar bond.
The investigation continued, and just over a month later, a second suspect was apprehended. On June 27, 2024, 22-year-old Demetrius White, also a Waterbury resident, was arrested in the city of Meriden. He was charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, criminal possession of a firearm, and weapons in a motor vehicle. Like Osorio-Medina, his bond was set at three million dollars. With the two main suspects in custody, police announced that they did not anticipate any further arrests in connection with the shooting death of Lashawn Nance, bringing a measure of closure to the investigative chapter of a young life cut short.
