In the early evening of March 25, 2013, a burst of gunfire shattered the quiet of a Hartford, Connecticut neighborhood, forever altering the lives of two families. Kelly Karod Cooper, a 30-year-old Black man, found himself an unwitting observer to a targeted attack that would tragically claim his life. As he stood in the passenger doorway of a parked car on Clark Street, he witnessed another young man, Kwante Tyshawn Feliciano, being chased and shot at by an assailant.
In a devastating turn of events, a stray bullet struck Cooper in the head. While friends rushed him to Saint Francis Hospital, his injuries proved catastrophic. He succumbed to the gunshot wound the following day, March 26, 2013.
The intended target of the brazen daylight shooting was 19-year-old Kwante Feliciano. His father, Randolph Feliciano, heard the gunshots from his home and looked outside to see his son being pursued by a man in a hooded sweatshirt who was firing a weapon. After his son was struck and collapsed, the gunman fled the scene. The elder Feliciano raced to his son's side, attempting to render aid before lifting him into his truck to speed towards the hospital. Tragically, Kwante was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound to the chest shortly after arriving. Investigators believe Feliciano's murder was not a random act of violence.
In the wake of the double homicide, Hartford Police described the suspect as a Hispanic male, approximately 5-feet-6-inches tall and weighing around 180 pounds, last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. The investigation led detectives to believe that Feliciano's death was connected to a dispute with individuals from a neighborhood known as "New Jack City." Despite this lead and public appeals for information, the case has been hampered by a lack of forthcoming witnesses, possibly due to fears of retaliation. The murders of Kelly Karod Cooper and Kwante Tyshawn Feliciano remain unsolved, and no arrests have been made in connection with their deaths. The community continues to await justice for the two lives abruptly taken on that tragic spring day.
