These teens, 15 and 16 years old, were playing a game when they were shot and chased down by an adult in a vehicle with a firearm, the prosecutor said.
A Connecticut man was sentenced to more than two years in prison for a September 2022 incident in which he shot a teenager and hit another teen with his vehicle, state authorities said.
Jaime Garcia, 46, of Manchester, was sentenced to a total of 27 months in prison for the incident in Manchester in which teens were playing a game when one was shot and another chased and hit with the vehicle, authorities said.
Garcia pleaded guilty in Hartford Superior Court on April 29, 2024 to charges of first-degree assault and second-degree assault, authorities said.
Citing court records, authorities said Manchester police responded to a report of a shooting in September 2022, and found a group of teens, including one who had a gunshot wound.
The teens told police that they had been running through the neighborhood, while playing the game “manhunt.” During the game, Garcia left his home, and “while chasing one of the youths down the street, reached into his pocket and pulled out a firearm,” authorities said. Garcia fired multiple shots in the residential neighborhood, hitting one of the juveniles, authorities said.
“The defendant then went back to his home, retrieved a vehicle and canvassed the neighborhood for additional juveniles playing the game. When he spotted a juvenile walking on the sidewalk, the defendant pulled up in the vehicle, showed the juvenile a gun, and then proceeded to chase and strike the juvenile with his vehicle,” authorities said.
Garcia was sentenced to 10 years in prison, suspended after 27 months served and three years of probation.
“The mothers of the victims courageously faced the man who harmed their children and spoke from the heart at sentencing, before an open courtroom and the court,” State’s Attorney Walcott said, in a statement.
“These teens, 15 and 16 years old, were playing a game when they were shot and chased down by an adult in a vehicle with a firearm. The defendant’s actions were dangerous to not only the youth playing in the neighborhood that night, but also to every person outside that night in the neighborhood,” Walcott said.
“The defendant’s criminal actions have had an impact on relations and safety in the community. It has eroded the thread of trust that often runs through a neighborhood. The victims’ presence at today’s hearing was meaningful and I want to take this time to acknowledge their comments and presence at every step of the process.”
The case was prosecuted by Supervisor Assistant State’s Attorney Robert Diaz with the assistance of Inspector Luis Rodriguez, authorities said.
