Hartford infant, Waterbury toddler join a growing number of young children victimized by gun violence

In just one week, the lives of two young children were struck by gun violence in Connecticut. A 2-year-old was hit by a bullet while bouncing in a baby walker in his home, and an infant was snuggled against his mother’s chest when bullets narrowly missed him.

The 4-month-old boy was strapped into a carrier worn by his mother Christina Dang when she was shot outside her home in Hartford last week. Dang fell to the ground, her infant still seated in the baby carrier she wore, as she died from a gunshot wound. Another gunshot struck the baby’s father, Dang’s partner Chase Garrett.

The 4-month-old, named Chosen’One Chase Garrett, became an orphan in a matter of seconds as the bullets whizzed past his tiny frame. The baby lay on his mother as both his parents died, before being taken out of the carrier by a neighbor and brought to a hospital to be cleaned up following the violent scene that unfurled around him, his family said Sunday.

A 2-year-old boy in Waterbury was in a walker in his home on Pinecrest Drive, where he lived with his grandmother and siblings, when a friend of his older brother was allegedly showing off a gun, police said.

“At some point that gun went off and the gun struck the 2-year-old child who was in a walker,” said Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo during a press conference last week.

According to research published by Every Town For Gun Safety, a national nonprofit that advocates for stricter gun laws and less gun violence, an estimated 15,000 children are wounded by gunfire every year in America and another 3 million children witness a shooting each year.

The likelihood of being exposed to gun-involved homicides or assaults is much higher for children who live in urban areas, the organization said.

Christina Dang, 27, and Chase Eugene Garrett, 39, were killed when shots were fired around 9 p.m. on June 19 just outside the apartment Dang and Garrett shared with their young son on the second floor of a multifamily home at 67 Franklin Avenue in Hartford, police said.

Police responded to a report of gunfire and found three unresponsive victims with gunshot wounds. Dang and Garrett were pronounced dead on the scene and another woman was in critical condition, police said.

Police have said the incident stemmed from an argument between neighbors about a dog. Garrett’s family said they believe Dang was arguing with a neighbor and Garrett stepped in to protect her and their baby.

A few days after the shooting, a 31-year-old man named Donovan McFarlane showed up at the Hartford Police Department to speak with detectives and said he was suffering from a non-life-threatening gunshot wound that occurred during Sunday’s incident. He was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a firearm, police said.

Chosen’One Garrett was first taken into custody by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families and is now staying with a relative of his father, family said.

Judy Sailor, Garrett’s mother, flew to Connecticut from Tampa, Florida, when she learned what had happened to her son and his girlfriend. She had been on a FaceTime call with Garrett just a few hours before he died, and he was holding his son.

The family had just come home from eating at the Cheesecake Factory in West Hartford and Garrett was set to start a new job at Red Lobster the next day, which his mother said he was most excited about.

He was also ecstatic about being a new father. For the four months he got to spend with his son, family said Garrett doted over the baby, making plans for his future like where he would go to school, where they would travel.

He was working on completing a family tree online so his son would know all about his roots and would often FaceTime his mother and siblings to update them on his son’s milestones.

“He was so crazy about his son,” said Sailor. “He always FaceTimed me to show me new things he was doing. He’d say, ‘Ma, he’s watching the Michael Jordan game with me and he’s loving it,’ and ‘He’s loving his new walker,'” she said.

Sailor was even on FaceTime when her grandson was born, she said. Sailor got to see her grandson come into the world and snuggle with his mom and dad for the first time.

While Dang was pregnant, Sailor said she spent many nights on video calls with the mom-to-be while Garrett worked nights. Dang, she said, learned how to crochet while pregnant and made her baby “a beautiful blanket.” Both of his parents, Sailor said, loved Chosen beyond measure.

The family is devastated that the boy lost both his parents so tragically, so suddenly and so soon.

Chosen is a happy baby. He loves to bounce up and down, is always laughing and is enjoying his teething ring while his bottom teeth come in, Sailor said.

On Sunday night, Garrett’s family was all gathering for a family dinner with Chosen. They hoped to bring Chosen the Bentley stroller his dad made sure to get him and donations of clothing and diapers from Garrett’s alma mater.

Chosen’s aunt says she wonders if her nephew recognizes the loss.

“I’m sure he feels something isn’t right because his parents were active in his life,” she said. But Rodgers says the infant seems happy still.

“He’s very happy. It’s almost like he doesn’t even know.”

Garrett’s mother is hoping to gain custody of the infant but is currently working with the Department of Children and Families to determine what is next for Chosen. His mother’s family — who lives in Louisville, Kentucky, but who are also in Connecticut now — want to raise the boy as well.

The Department of Children and Families is also investigating the Waterbury shooting, police said.

The gun that police believe was wielded by Kharis Samuels, of Waterbury, was allegedly accidentally fired by the 20-year-old. A single bullet flew toward the 2-year-old inside the house, striking the toddler in his torso, police said.

He was rushed by his family to the closest emergency room and then taken by Life Star to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford, where he underwent surgery, according to the Waterbury Police Department.

The toddler was in stable condition Sunday at CCMC, police said.

Police are now looking for Samuels and have issued a warrant for his arrest. He allegedly fled after the shooting. Police said he has ties to New York and Florida.

Samuels is facing charges of first-degree assault, illegal discharge of a firearm, first-degree reckless endangerment, illegal transfer of a pistol or revolver, criminal use of a weapon, carrying a pistol without a permit, illegal possession of weapons in a motor vehicle and three counts of risk of injury to a child, according to Spagnolo.

Every Town’s research found that 92% of all hospitalizations involving children with firearm injuries happen in urban areas, and that 50% of children wounded by gunfire experience a lifelong disability.

The impact of gun violence, the group said in a statement, extends beyond the physical wounds.

“Gun violence shapes the lives of the children who witness it, know someone who was shot, or live in fear of the next shooting,” according to Every Town. Children who witness shootings, or lose loved ones — like parents — to gun violence are at higher risk of struggling from substance use, depression, anxiety and PTSD, the organization said.

Garrett’s family said that right now, “everything is just about making sure Chosen is OK,”

Dang’s family could not be reached, but Garrett’s family said they all just want what is best for Chosen.

When they saw Chosen at a DCF meeting, Sailor said that, for a moment, the baby just stared up at his loved ones wide-eyed. Then he recognized them from all their FaceTime calls.

During their visit, the infant took to his aunt Jamie Rodgers immediately, said Sailor, wanting her to hold him.

Rodgers said she is heartbroken by her brother’s death and wants his son to be with her, her mom and her siblings. She said her brother “stretched himself thin” trying to take care of everyone in his life, especially his son.

“He really loved being a dad. It was only four months, but he loved everything about it. He always wanted to do everything with him that he didn’t get to do. He had a path for his son already planned for his life,” she said Sunday from a family member’s home in Windsor where she and her mom are staying as they plan her brother’s funeral and work with DCF.

“Chase was very loved, and they took a big piece of a lot of people’s hearts,” Rodgers said of the man who shot her brother. “And we’re going to make sure that Chosen is well taken care of the way he wanted him to be.”

Anyone interested in making donations to Chosen’One can email Rodgers at jamienicole2621@gmail.com.