Police: Suspect in custody after deadly Frog Hollow shooting

Neighborhood has experienced increase in gunfire in recent years

Less than 11 hours after Wednesday night’s deadly shooting in Hartford’s Frog Hollow neighborhood, police said they have a suspect in custody.

Daniel Lopez, 29, of East Hartford, is charged with the murder of Hartford resident Heriberto Garcia, 31. He was also charged with first-degree threatening and criminal possession of a firearm.

Shortly before 11:40 p.m. Wednesday, dispatchers received a 911 call about an unconscious person in a car at 65 Babcock St., between Capitol Avenue and Russ Street.

When officers arrived, they found the man suffering from an apparent gunshot wound and began life-saving measures until medics arrived, police said.

Garcia was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to Lt. Aaron Boisvert.

The circumstances of the shooting weren’t clear Thursday morning. Although Garcia was found outside his home, Boisvert said police don’t believe the gunfire stemmed from domestic violence.

Lopez is being held on a $1.5 million bond. He’s expected to be arraigned Friday.

It was the ninth homicide of the year in the capital city, Boisvert said.

The fatal shooting comes on the heels of deadly gunfire that took the lives of two boys, Randell Tarez Jones, 3, and Ja’Mari Preston, 16, in the North End Saturday. The shootings, which were about two hours apart, are believed to be connected, police said.

The Frog Hollow neighborhood, which includes Russ Street, has been a hot spot for gunfire in recent years. On the afternoon of March 9, a male victim was shot in the leg, police said at the time.

He was one of six people shot in the city, one fatally, in a 48-hour period. None of the March shootings were believed to be connected.

Members of the department’s Major Crimes and Crime Scene divisions are investigating the homicides.

Anyone with information that may help them is asked to call the police department’s tip line at 860-722-8477 (TIPS).