On the evening of March 24, 2014, a burst of gunfire shattered the night in a New Haven, Connecticut neighborhood, leaving a family torn apart and a community searching for answers. Seventeen-year-old Taijhon Washington, a Black male, was fatally shot near the intersection of Butler and Lilac streets. His 16-year-old half-brother, who was with him at the time, was also struck by a bullet to the head but miraculously survived the attack.
The shooting was reported to have happened shortly before 9 p.m.
The investigation into the homicide quickly pointed to an ongoing feud that had been simmering between different groups of young people in the city. Authorities identified 18-year-old Jeffrey Covington as a suspect in the shooting. In April 2014, Covington was arrested and charged with the murder of Taijhon Washington, as well as first-degree assault for the injuries sustained by his younger brother. Additional charges included criminal possession of a handgun, criminal use of a firearm, and carrying a handgun without a permit. The arrest warrant affidavit suggested that the shooting was the violent culmination of this ongoing dispute.
Jeffrey Covington's case proceeded to trial, where the prosecution presented its evidence. However, in October 2015, a jury found themselves deadlocked on the most serious charges of murder and first-degree assault, resulting in a mistrial on those counts. The jury did, however, find Covington guilty of carrying a pistol without a permit. Following this, a judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison on weapons charges. Despite the conviction on the lesser charges, the question of who was responsible for Taijhon's death remained officially unresolved in the eyes of the law. A subsequent retrial on the murder and assault charges was scheduled. In July 2016, a jury acquitted Covington of the murder and first-degree assault charges.
