Bristol man sentenced to 25 years for fatally shooting 17-year-old boy, injuring another at Hartford apartment complex in 2018

A Bristol man was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to fatally shooting one teen and injuring another at an apartment building in Hartford in 2018.

William Moore, 29, was sentenced to 25 years followed by 10 years of special parole by Judge David P. Gold on Tuesday. Moore pleaded guilty to murder and first-degree assault on March 1 for the shooting death of Karlonzo Taylor, 17, in December 2018, Hartford State’s Attorney Sharmese L. Walcott said in a release on Wednesday. Another 17-year-old boy was also injured in the shooting.

On Dec. 5, 2018, Moore told police he opened fire at the Park Street apartment building where he had been robbed that summer, knowing the thieves lived there, according to court records.

The bullets hit Taylor and a second teen around 1:30 p.m. Both teens were taken to area hospitals where Taylor later died. The second teen survived and continues to live with injuries as a result of the shooting, court records said.

At the time of the shooting, Taylor’s father, Denley Taylor, said the teen got out of school early and was with friends in the apartment building that was just a block or so away from his home.

“He got out early and that was it,” Denley Taylor said.

Moore was identified as a suspect by a person who was on the third-floor landing where the shooting happened. The witness told police Moore walked up to a group of six people who were gathered, holding a gun. Then he started firing, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

Police tracked down Moore using a cellphone number he gave to police when he reported his robbery. Police brought Moore in for an interview where he confessed to the shooting, the affidavit said. Moore also told investigators he was robbed by people in that apartment building in August and they had threatened him and his family ever since, according to the affidavit.

“This case highlights a tragedy we, especially prosecutors, see daily in the criminal justice system,” Walcott said. “There are no winners in this case. The entire community loses. The victims and their families are suffering unimaginable loss, the school system was forever impacted by this crime and the defendant, as well as his family, face serious punishment.

“Gun violence has a devastating impact on our communities,” Walcott added. “Greater focus needs to be placed on improving access to mental health care for young adults. We, as a society, need to do better for everyone.”