On a summer evening in Hartford, Connecticut, the life of Anthony Wright, a 28-year-old Black / African American man, was tragically cut short. On July 12, 2019, at approximately 11 p.m., Wright was on Main Street near Mahl Avenue when he was fatally shot. Responding officers discovered him on the sidewalk with multiple gunshot wounds to his chest and back.
Despite being transported to a local hospital, he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
The investigation into Wright's death swiftly identified a suspect, 30-year-old Antoine Keaton, also a resident of Hartford. Evidence presented during the subsequent trial revealed that Keaton held a personal animosity towards Wright stemming from a prior incident. On the night of the shooting, Keaton walked past Wright before turning around and shooting him six times at close range. The attack was sudden and brutal, leaving Wright with no chance of survival. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Within days of the murder, on July 15, 2019, Antoine Keaton was apprehended by members of the Hartford Police Department's Violent Crime Unit and the U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force. He was charged with murder and criminal possession of a firearm. After a trial in Hartford Superior Court, a jury found Keaton guilty of both charges on December 13, 2022. The prosecution successfully argued that the murder was a direct result of the previous dispute between the two men. In February 2023, Keaton was sentenced for the murder of Anthony Wright.
