Hartford Man, 21, Convicted In 2022 Shooting Death Of Teen: State

HARTFORD/EAST HARTFORD, CT — A young Hartford man was convicted of manslaughter last week in connection with the fatal shooting of a teen in East Hartford in 2022, state officials said.

Sharmese L. Walcott, Hartford Judicial District State’s Attorney, said Wednesday a Hartford Superior Court jury July 3, found Jahki Jaheem Clarke, 21, of Hartford, guilty of charges related to the incident.

She said Clarke was convicted of manslaughter with a firearm, tampering with evidence, and having a weapon in a motor vehicle.

According to evidence introduced at the trial, on Jan. 9, 2022, officers from the East Hartford Police Department responded to a call of an unresponsive male found in a driveway, Walcott said.

She said Nakhai Grant, 17, of East Hartford, had been shot in the torso and was pronounced dead at the scene.

"Through the investigation, witnesses and surveillance videos showed multiple suspects in a vehicle fleeing from the area where the victim was shot. The license plate led to the owner and driver of the car," said Walcott on Wednesday in a statement.

The driver and a passenger initially told police the shooter was a 15-year-old passenger sitting in the rear of the car, who was arrested after confessing to the crime, authorities said.

But further investigation showed the juvenile was not the actual shooter, Walcott said.

She said the juvenile later recanted his previous statement and named Clarke as the shooter.

The suspects stated that they had met with Grant to sell marijuana, and Grant had tried to steal the marijuana through the front passenger window, Walcott said.

According to Walcott, Clarke, located in the front passenger seat, shot Grant, and the driver of the vehicle sped away.

Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 9 in Hartford Superior Court.

For more information on the case, click on this link.