On the evening of March 17, 2017, in Hartford, Connecticut, 15-year-old Keon Huff Jr., a Black/African American male, was found shot in the head in the hallway of a residential building on Garden Street. Emergency services responded to a call around 10:39 p.m. regarding a person shot and lying in the hallway. Upon arrival, paramedics pronounced Keon dead at the scene at 10:57 p.m. His death marked the city's eighth homicide of the year.
Keon was a former member of a local AAU basketball team, and his former coach and teammates remembered him as a kid who always made people laugh. In the time leading up to his death, city leaders, including the mayor, and community organizations had been working with Keon to provide support and mentorship.
The investigation into Keon's death quickly led to a suspect. Hartford Police charged a juvenile, later identified as 17-year-old Tywone Edwards Jr., with murder, tampering with evidence, and carrying a pistol without a permit. A judge later determined that Edwards would be tried as an adult. According to court documents, Edwards claimed the shooting was an accident, stating he was playing with the gun and believed the safety was on when he pulled the trigger. However, a witness contradicted this account, telling police that both they and Keon had told Edwards to put the gun away but he refused. The witness also stated that after the shooting, Edwards instructed them to dispose of the shell casing.
Ultimately, the murder charge against Tywone Edwards Jr. was reduced to first-degree manslaughter with a firearm after prosecutors concluded they could not prove he intended to kill Keon. In February 2018, Edwards pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter with a firearm, tampering with evidence, and possession of a pistol without a permit. In April 2018, the then 18-year-old Edwards was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the death of Keon Huff Jr.
