A Connecticut teen was arrested in Alabama in connection with the fatal shooting of a 24-year-old in Manchester last month, authorities announced Thursday.

Zion Smith, 16, is being charged as an adult on counts of murder, tampering with physical evidence, carrying a dangerous weapon and unlawful discharge of a firearm, Lt. Nicholas Reinert of the Manchester Police Department said in a news release.

According to Reinert, Manchester police officers were dispatched to the intersection of Irving and Woodland streets in the early hours of May 20 following a report of a vehicle idling on the side of the road with an unresponsive driver.

Officers arrived to find a male victim sitting in the driver’s seat. Despite life-saving efforts, the driver, later identified as Jordan Patterson of Windsor Locks, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Reinert said the victim died from a single gunshot wound to the torso.

A comprehensive investigation led by Manchester police, in coordination with local and federal agencies, revealed Smith as the suspect. Authorities obtained an extraditable arrest warrant for the teen, who was later located in Alabama and then extradited to Connecticut.

Smith has since been processed and transported to Hartford Juvenile Detention. He was expected to be arraigned Thursday, Reinert said.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is urged to contact Det. Kaczerski at the Manchester Police Department by calling (800) 645-5500.

https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/06/26/connecticut-teen-arrested-alabama-manchester-murder/