The fatal shooting of a young Connecticut father last week allegedly stemmed from a dispute over his child’s upcoming birthday party.
Meriden police say Dovone Still, 21, called 911 around noon on Jan. 19 and told dispatchers that her child’s father had been shot, the CTPost reported Tuesday, citing an arrest warrant.
Officers arrived to find 22-year-old Deron Johnson suffering from a gunshot wound in the area of Cook Avenue and Summer Street. He was transported to MidState Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.
Family members told CT Insider that Johnson was a surgical technician working at a local hospital and was the father of a 2-year-old son.
In the wake of his death, investigators learned that Still’s boyfriend, 28-year-old Aren Scott, had been feuding over a birthday party that he’d planned for Johnson and Still’s son. Family told police that Johnson believed Scott had overstepped and that their issues only intensified in recent days.
The three got into a confrontation on the street outside Johnson’s home, at which point Scott allegedly shot Johnson in the torso, according to the warrant. Johnson attempted to run from the scene but collapsed on a nearby bridge.
Following an extensive investigation, Scott and Still were arrested on Saturday in Milford.
Scott has been charged with murder and is being held on $2 million bond. Still has been charged with hindering prosecution for allegedly giving Scott new clothes and a train ticket after the shooting. She remains in custody after her bond was raised to $25,000 on Tuesday.
Neither have any previous convictions or pending cases.
“This investigation was brought to a quick resolution with the assistance of the New Haven State’s Attorney office, Milford Police Department and the Hartford Police Department,” Meriden Police Department Sgt. Michael Boothroyd said in a news release.
