The woman was shot several times, including in the neck, during a failed robbery attempt, police say.
Cecil Grant, 19, of Hartford is facing a slew of felonies for his alleged part in the failed armed robbery of a woman delivering pizza back in May. HARTFORD, Conn. - Only two weeks into its recent reinstatement by Hartford Mayor Pedro E. Segarra, the Hartford Shooting Task Force closed the May 1 case involving the shooting of a woman delivering pizza with the arrest of the two men allegedly responsible for the attack.
Cecil Grant of 27 Orange St., and Derrick Newkirk of 55 Elmer St, both 19-year-old Hartford residents, are facing several felony charges for an incident that almost took the life of a delivery driver.
According to a report in the Hartford Courant, Grant and Newkirk attempted to rob the woman on May 1 when she was making a delivery to a house on the 500 block of Mary Shephard Place.
The victim told reporters that the men asked her to break a $100 bill and when she said she couldn't, Grant pushed a handgun against the window and said he would just take her car instead.
As the woman attempted to drive off, Grant allegedly started shooting from the rear of the car, shattering the delivery driver's rear window.
Because the housing project is situated on a dead end street, the delivery driver had to turn around and drive past the assailants to get out.
Derrick Newkirk, described by police as Grant's accomplice in the attempted robbery and shooting, is also facing felony charges for his alleged part in the attack. "She reclined her seat all way down and, without being able to see where she was going, kept driving," the report states.
The woman apparently then drove herself two and a half miles to St. Francis Hospital.
"Although the victim suffered serious, life-threatening injuries, she is recovering," Hartford police said. "The Hartford Shooting Task Force had been diligently investigating the case since it began work on July 5. On July 13, detectives had secured sufficient evidence to obtain an arrest warrant for Grant and Newkirk in connection with the shooting."
Grant, who police say was in custody on unrelated charges, is charged with criminal attempt to commit murder, first-degree assault, conspiracy and criminal attempt first degree robbery, according to police. He was held in lieu of $500,000 bond.
Newkirk, who is described by police as Grant's accomplice, is charged with first-degree criminal attempt to commit robbery, accessory to first-degree assault, and conspiracy. He was held in lieu of $400,000 bond pending arraignment in Hartford Superior Court.
Segarra praised the work of the task force saying he "could not be more pleased with the results of their efforts."
Earlier this week, the shooting team arrested two other men who were reportedly wanted for questioning in connection with a series of shootings around Hartford.
The Hartford Shooting Team is a partnership between the Hartford Police Department, Office of the Hartford State's Attorney, Office of the Chief State's Attorney, the Connecticut State Police, the Department of Corrections, and the East Hartford, West Hartford and Manchester police departments. It is charged with investigating gun violence and bring those responsible for such violence to prosecution.