In the pre-dawn hours of August 5, 2022, the quiet of a Bristol, Connecticut neighborhood was shattered by the sound of gunshots. Responding to reports at approximately 3:10 a.m. on Jefferson Avenue, police discovered 27-year-old Leonaldo Encarnacion, a Black/African American male, suffering from a gunshot wound at his residence. He was quickly transported to a local hospital, but tragically succumbed to his injuries on August 8, 2022.
An autopsy later confirmed he died from a gunshot wound to the torso, and his death was officially ruled a homicide.
Encarnacion, who was just shy of his 28th birthday, had moved to Connecticut from his native Brooklyn, New York, with plans to leave behind a troubled past and embrace a slower pace of life. His family described him as a loving and joyful man who was devoted to his nieces and nephew, their names prominently tattooed on his body. He had recently been released from jail and was living with a female friend at the Jefferson Avenue home. Despite his past, his family said he had a renewed sense of hope, with aspirations of starting a real estate business with his siblings and being closer to his father who lived in Waterbury.
The investigation into Encarnacion's death was swift. Authorities indicated the incident appeared to be isolated and did not pose a broader threat to the public. On August 17, 2022, the Bristol Police Department announced the arrests of two individuals from Chicopee, Massachusetts, in connection with the homicide. One suspect was charged with murder, while the other faced a charge of conspiracy to commit murder. The arrests brought a measure of resolution to a community unsettled by the violent event that cut short a young man's plans for a new beginning.
