Ty-Leeyah Jamison, 17, was a Weaver High School senior and cheerleader whose death has brought grief to family, classmates and neighbors.
HARTFORD, Conn. — Family members, classmates and Hartford community groups are mourning 17-year-old Ty-Leeyah Jamison, a Weaver High School senior killed when gunfire struck a gathering of teenagers on East Raymond Street Wednesday evening.
Jamison and another 17-year-old girl were shot shortly before 7 p.m. Oct. 21 near the front of a residential building, police said. Both teenagers were taken to a hospital, where Jamison died. The other girl survived and was reported in stable condition as police began searching for the shooter.
Jamison’s mother, Stephannie Pagan, said her daughter was a senior and cheerleader at Weaver High School. Relatives and friends described the teenager in local reports as kind, quiet and upbeat, with an interest in fashion and a talent for making people laugh. Her death quickly brought an outpouring of grief from people who knew her at school and in the neighborhood.
The loss was felt beyond Jamison’s immediate family. Community members gathered near the shooting scene the following day, where a prayer circle was held. The Rev. Henry Brown of Mothers United Against Violence joined people near East Raymond Street as residents confronted another fatal shooting involving a young person.
Violence-prevention workers also responded after the shooting. COMPASS Youth Collaborative said its staff connected with young people and families affected by the gunfire and provided support in the community and at local schools. The organization works with Hartford youths affected by violence and other crises.
Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam said both teenagers were students in Hartford schools. He said preliminary information indicated that the shooting followed a personal dispute that began several days earlier and stressed the importance of preventing additional violence. Police have not publicly said Jamison was responsible for or involved in the earlier dispute.
Pagan said her daughter had not been part of the conflict investigators were examining. She said Jamison had gone with a friend to a location connected to other teenagers when the shooting occurred. Police have described their account of the dispute as preliminary and have continued working to determine who was targeted and what led to the attack.
A gunshot-detection alert brought officers to East Raymond Street, where police said 11 rounds had been fired. Investigators believe a number of people were nearby at the time. Detectives have been seeking witnesses as they reconstruct the moments before the shooting and try to identify the person who fired at the group.
For Jamison’s family and school community, the investigation is unfolding alongside the immediate loss of a teenager who was approaching the end of high school. Friends and relatives have continued remembering her while police pursue leads in the homicide case.
No arrest had been publicly announced in the latest reports reviewed. Hartford police were continuing to seek witnesses and evidence while the second 17-year-old victim recovered from her injuries.
Author note: Last updated October 25, 2026.