WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. (AP) - A 16-year-old boy who was shot to death in a Windsor Locks park was identified Thursday as a local high school basketball player who had just finished his junior year.
School Superintendent Shawn Parkhurst wrote a letter to the community announcing that the victim was Elijah Ortega.
“It is with a heavy and broken heart that I share with you the tragic passing of Windsor Locks High School student Elijah Ortega,” Parkhurst said. “Elijah, a young man with a contagious smile, just completed his junior year at WLHS, and was an integral member of the Windsor Locks High School basketball team.”
Police believe the shooting at Pesci Park on Wednesday night happened during an ongoing dispute between two groups of youths. Ortega was shot multiple times, authorities said.
The gunman fled in a car that was later found in Hartford, officials said.
Windsor Locks police said they have identified several persons of interest and expect to make arrests soon.
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