On a Tuesday night in Hartford, Connecticut, the life of 18-year-old Zaid Deje Langs-Myers was tragically cut short. On June 13, 2023, police responded to a motor vehicle crash at the intersection of High Street and Walnut Street shortly after 10:30 p.m. Arriving at the scene, they found Zaid, a Black/African American male, outside the Lincoln Town Car he had been driving, suffering from gunshot wounds.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but tragically, he was pronounced dead.
Investigators quickly determined that the crash scene was not where the violence had originated. By reviewing city surveillance footage, they traced the vehicle's path back to the 30 block of Brook Street, where they discovered evidence of gunfire. Police believe that Zaid was shot during an attempted robbery. At the site of the crash, a significant amount of marijuana was found, leading authorities to suspect that the motive for the shooting was the theft of the drugs. After being shot, Zaid apparently attempted to drive away from his attacker, striking another car on Albany Avenue before crashing for a final time at High and Walnut streets.
Zaid, a resident of Windsor, was a recent graduate of A.I. Prince Technical High School, where he was a student-athlete on the track and basketball teams. He had just completed his freshman year at the University of Connecticut's Hartford campus, where he was studying in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources. Remembered as a confident and friendly young man with an entrepreneurial spirit, his death sent shockwaves through the communities he was a part of.
The Hartford Police Major Crimes and Crime Scene Divisions are leading the ongoing investigation into the homicide. A passenger who was in the car with Zaid was not injured and has cooperated with the police. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, police stated they were pursuing several strong leads to identify a suspect. However, no arrests have been announced in connection with the death of Zaid Deje Langs-Myers. The case remains an open investigation.
