In the early hours of a summer Friday, the Hill neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut, was shattered by violence that claimed the life of a beloved family man. Jerome Myers, a 48-year-old Black/African American male, was fatally shot near the intersection of Liberty and Putnam streets on June 26, 2015. The lifelong New Haven resident, known for his humor and uplifting spirit, was a father of seven children.
Family members who gathered near the tragic scene were left in shock, struggling
to understand why anyone would harm a man they described as easygoing and always ready with a joke. His daughter, Rayna Myers, recalled seeing him just days before his death, sharing laughs with her and her great-grandmother. She, along with other relatives, could not imagine who would have wanted to shoot him in what they described as "cold blood." They were unaware of any reason why he would have been in that particular area at the time of the shooting.
As the sun rose over the neighborhood, which was less than half a mile from the city's police headquarters, yellow crime scene tape cordoned off the area. Detectives began their investigation into what was the city's sixth homicide of the year. Neighbors in the vicinity reported not seeing the incident and only becoming aware of the situation when law enforcement arrived.
In the immediate aftermath, police offered few details about the ongoing investigation. They appealed to the public for any information that might lead to the apprehension of the person or persons responsible for Jerome Myers' death. City officials released a statement asking anyone with knowledge of the shooting to contact New Haven police detectives. However, information regarding any arrests or the identification of any suspects in the killing of Jerome Myers has not been made publicly available in the years that followed. The case, for now, remains a painful and unresolved chapter for his grieving family and community.
