HARTFORD, Conn — Gun violence in the capital city has claimed two more lives.
Hartford police are investigating the deaths of 20-year-old Alicia Underwood and 19-year-old Deandre Faison at a home on Fenwick Street on Monday evening as a murder-suicide.
The Connecticut Office of Chief Medical Examiner confirmed that Underwood died of a gunshot wound to the head and her death was ruled a homicide. Faison’s death was ruled a suicide.
Lt. Aaron Boisvert of the Hartford Police Department said Tuesday that the two were in a dating relationship. He also said police officers recovered multiple weapons at the scene and are waiting on the evidence to process from the state crime lab.
FOX61 spoke to a lady named Janeliz, who was visiting her aunt who lives on the second floor of 45 Fenwick Street. They were eating dinner when they heard a bang.
“So shocked how everything happened right under us and we had no idea. Absolutely no idea,” said Janeliz. “We just assumed it was someone hanging a frame or someone fixing something.”
Moments later – “We hear knocking on the door and it’s the police,” she said.
Police explained they found Faison and Underwood shot dead.
“Upon our officers' arrival, they did go into the house where they located the victims with gunshot wounds. Both deceased,” Boisvert said.
Police hadn’t found a weapon and told Janeliz to get to a secure location.
“I hid in the bathroom with the children until we were safe,” she explained.
Thinking first about the safety of her kids, Janeliz told FOX61 she wishes she could have done something to change the outcome.
“In a way, it kind of haunts me because I feel like if I had heard something I could have done something and maybe I could have saved their lives," she said.
People who’ve met Faison, like the property landlord’s daughter-in-law, told FOX61 they were shocked.
“I was honestly shocked because I did meet him a few times and had seen him on the property so I was really shocked. He seems like a nice kid. He was nice. I know he would always help my stepmom with stuff. He would be helping his mom out. He had little siblings and they would always be in the front.”
Faison lived on the first floor with his mom and two younger siblings, who weren’t home at the time of the crime.
The capital city is now on pace for a potentially historic number of homicides.
“Our crime has been down. Our shootings are down quite a bit. Unfortunately, homicides are just not down this year,” Boisvert explained.
In all of 2020, there were 25 homicides. Now, after two more people were shot dead, the total for 2021 is 34.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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