Mom and baby were fatally shot in a dispute over a vehicle, Connecticut police say

HARTFORD, Conn. — Police in Connecticut were searching Wednesday for a man believed to have shot to death a woman and her infant son inside a car because of a dispute over a vehicle.

Acting Hartford Police Chief Kenny Howell urged the suspect, Lance “Macho” Morales, who was released this year from prison after serving three years for attempted assault, to turn himself him to authorities.

“Lance, you have no other option but to hand yourself in the Hartford Police Department for the horrific crimes you have done,” Howell said during a televised news conference. “This hit at the heart of Hartford.”

Police said they believe Morales, 23, from Waterbury, Connecticut, pulled up alongside a car around 3 p.m. on Tuesday in Hartford and began firing. Police said the intended target was the mother, Jessiah Mercado, 20, of Springfield, Massachusetts. Morales and Mercado were acquaintances who had a dispute over a vehicle, said Hartford Police Lt. Aaron Boisvert.

Mercado's 4-month-old son was killed, and a man in his 20s in the car was also shot. His injuries were not life threatening, Boisvert said. A fourth person, the driver, was not shot and drove the car to nearby Hartford Hospital.

Boisvert said detectives were able to identify Morales through video they found of the crime scene and information from the public. Howell stressed that Morales is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached. He is wanted on a $3 million bond for multiple crimes.