A 17-year-old Hartford teen who was part of a group that left allegedly left a restaurant without paying is dead after a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his right leg on Sunday morning in East Hartford, police said.
At about 5 a.m., the East Hartford Police Department responded to a larceny complaint at The AAA Diner at 1209 Main Street for four people leaving the restaurant without paying their bill, according to the East Hartford Police Department.
According to police, an officer saw the suspects entering an Uber and leaving the scene. The officer stopped the vehicle near Main Street and Orchard Street.
Police said the 17-year-old ran from the stop and the officer pursued him on foot.
“Officers lost sight of him, then heard a gunshot,” East Hartford Police said in a statement. “Officers quickly located the male behind 1137 Main Street, where he was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his right leg.”
The firearm found near the male was stolen and later traced to South Windsor, according to police.
Police said that East Hartford officers, East Hartford Fire Department and the Ambulance Service of Manchester immediately began life-saving measures.
The male was rushed to St. Francis Hospital, where he died from his injuries during surgery, according to the East Hartford Police Department.
Per request of the family the name of the deceased was not released at this time and the incident remains an open and active investigation.
Anyone with information should contact Detective Patrick Sullivan at (860) 528-4401 or psullivan@easthartfordct.gov.
