In the warm summer evening of August 8, 2014, in New Haven, Connecticut, the life of 15-year-old Jacob Craggett, a Black / African American male, was tragically cut short. Just days away from starting his sophomore year of high school, where he was a promising defensive tackle for the Hillhouse High School football team, Jacob was looking forward to the future.
That night, he and his 23-year-old brother, Joshua, were riding in a car with two other people near his grandmother's home.
As the car came to a stop at the intersection of Vernon Street and Davenport Avenue, gunfire erupted. Two assailants opened fire on the vehicle, striking Jacob's brother, Joshua, and the driver, Timothy Jones. In a selfless act of courage, Jacob got out of the backseat to try and help his wounded brother. It was then that more shots were fired, and Jacob was fatally struck in the back. His brother Joshua was seriously injured but survived after spending two weeks in the hospital. The intended target of the shooting was believed to be the driver of the car. The Craggett family had experienced a similar tragedy a decade earlier when Jacob's cousin was killed at the very same intersection.
The investigation into the shooting led to the arrest of Lamont Edwards in June 2015. Edwards, a convicted felon, was known to the Craggett family, and Jacob had reportedly admired him. In December 2016, a jury found Edwards guilty of murder, two counts of first-degree assault, and other charges related to the shooting. Witnesses testified that Edwards had admitted to the shooting but claimed he didn't know the Craggett brothers were in the car. In March 2017, Lamont Edwards was sentenced to 85 years in prison for his role in the death of Jacob Craggett and the wounding of his brother. While Edwards was convicted, it was reported that there was a second gunman involved in the shooting who has never been identified or charged.
