Those who knew Jessiah Mercado are holding onto memories of the young mother. Hartford Police say the 20-year-old and her four-month-old baby were killed after being shot in a car on New Britain Avenue.
Police said they have secured an arrest warrant for the suspect in a drive-by shooting in Hartford on Tuesday afternoon that killed a 20-year-old mother and her 4-month-old son that carries a $3 million bond and they are searching for him.
Investigators are searching for 23-year-old Lance Morales, whose last known address was in Waterbury. He was last seen driving a white Infinity Q70 with Massachusetts plate 3NEB35, which police believe is a misused marker plate. Police said they believe he has access to several other vehicles as well.
Anyone who sees Morales is urged to call 911 and not approach him because he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Police said the mother and infant were killed during a triple shooting in broad daylight near a busy grocery store on New Britain Avenue near the corners of Hillside Avenue and Zion Street just before 3 p.m. Tuesday.
Authorities said a person dropped three people off at the hospital Tuesday and 20-year-old Jessiah Mercado and her 4-month-old son, Messiah Diaz, both of Springfield, Massachusetts, later died.
A man in his 20s was also shot and his injuries are not life-threatening, according to police. They said the driver of the vehicle that the victims were in was not injured.
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"Jessiah was my childhood best friend. She brought light to any darkness. A great mother, a trying mother, a protector. She had a beautiful smile. Her vibrant energy was contagious. She didn’t deserve any of this. May her soul rest in peace alongside her mother and beautiful son. We will get justice. Long live Jessiah and Messiah," Jessiah's friend Diamond said.
Police said they believe the suspect and victims were acquaintances and the motive was a personal dispute in Waterbury and Hartford over a vehicle.
Lt. Aaron Boisvert, of the Hartford Police Department, said someone in a car pulled up alongside a second vehicle and started shooting.
"Horrible, absolutely horrible. It's all I can say about that," Boisvert said.
He said the charges against Morales include two counts of murder, murder with special circumstances, criminal possession of a firearm, assault in the first degree and criminal attempt to commit assault in the first degree.
Police are also searching for the gun that was used.
Detectives are conducting an investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 860-722-8477.
