In the early hours of August 20, 2018, the life of 28-year-old Randolph Paidama, a Black male from Hartford, Connecticut, was tragically cut short. Around 2 a.m., the city's ShotSpotter system detected the sound of multiple gunshots in a parking lot in the 500 block of Garden Street. When Hartford police officers arrived at the scene, they found Paidama suffering from several gunshot wounds.
Despite the immediate medical attention he received, his injuries proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into Paidama's death led authorities to identify Vincent Etwaroo as the primary suspect. Evidence presented during the subsequent trial revealed that Paidama and Etwaroo had been inside a vehicle together and had gotten into an argument. The dispute escalated, and when the vehicle stopped on Garden Street, both men exited. It was then that Etwaroo fired multiple shots at Paidama before fleeing the area. For years, the case remained unresolved as Etwaroo evaded capture.
In June 2021, a warrant was issued for Etwaroo's arrest. A significant breakthrough came in September of that year when U.S. Marshals located and apprehended him in Florida. Etwaroo was then extradited back to Connecticut to face charges for Paidama's murder. In May 2025, a Hartford Superior Court jury found Vincent Etwaroo guilty of the murder of Randolph Paidama. His sentencing was scheduled for July of the same year.
