A Connecticut man was found guilty of murder in connection with the death of a 3-year-old boy killed in a drive-by shooting while he was sitting in a car in Hartford in 2021.A jury in Hartford Superior Court found Jaziah Smith, 22, of Hartford, guilty on Tuesday of fatally shooting Randell Jones, Jr. of Hartford, according to Sharmese L. Walcott, State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Hartford.On April 10, 2021, police were dispatched to Saint Francis Hospital’s emergency room to speak with Randell’s mother. She told police she was driving by the intersection of Garden Street and Nelson Street, where she stopped to speak to her brother. She said a car drove up and started shooting at her vehicle and fled the scene, court records show.Warrants issued after the shooting allege that Smith was one of three people inside a black Honda Accord that pulled up next to the car and opened fire on Randell’s uncle, who was a passenger in the vehicle, according to previous reports.POOL / Fox61Jaziah Smith when he was taken into custody and charged with murder, accused of killing Randell Jones, 3, of Hartford, in a drive-by shooting at 182 Nelson St. on April 10, 2021.Randell’s uncle scrambled over the driver’s side seat and out onto the sidewalk while bullets were flying passed him, court records show. Randell, who was sitting behind his mother and uncle and next to his then-4- and 5-year-old sisters, was shot in the arm and torso. He was rushed by his mother to Saint Francis Hospital where he died, according to police.Court records show that police used city surveillance cameras and information gathered from social media accounts to identify all of the people believed to be involved in the shooting.Tyquam Malone, who was 16 at the time, was also arrested in connection to the shooting and charged in the child’s death.A third person seen on video in Honda helped police identify Malone and Smith, court records show.“The Hartford State’s Attorney’s Office is committed to being an integral part of protecting residents from the dangers of gun violence,” Walcott said. “This verdict sends a message to offenders that if you commit gun violence in our community, we will be working closely with the Hartford Police Department and other law enforcement officials to make sure you are held accountable.”Judge Nuala E. Droney scheduled Smith’s sentencing for Dec. 10 in Hartford Superior Court.“State’s Attorney Walcott wishes to extend deepest sympathy to the parents who lost their child, along with gratitude to the Hartford Police Department and the Hartford State’s Attorney’s Office prosecution team for their hard work and dedication to resolving this case,” the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice said in a statement Friday.
Originally Published: September 20, 2024 at 7:02 p.m.