A New Haven man has been found guilty of murder in connection with the fatal 2021 drive-by shooting of 18-year-old Semaj Reddick-Streater, a recent father and high school senior from Hamden.
On Tuesday, a New Haven Superior Court jury convicted Lamont Quadir Smith-Reed, 22, of both murder and conspiracy to commit murder, according to New Haven Judicial District State’s Attorney John P. Doyle Jr. Smith-Reed, who has been in custody since May 2022, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 5.
The deadly shooting took place on May 30, 2021, outside the Minute Mart on Circular Avenue in Hamden. Reddick-Streater was leaving the store when he was struck by bullets fired from the rear of a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee.
An arrest affidavit revealed that the vehicle used in the shooting had been reported stolen from Norwalk the same day and was recovered the following morning. Inside, investigators discovered a partially smoked cannabis cigar that tested positive for Smith-Reed’s DNA.
A confidential informant told police that three individuals, including Smith-Reed and two minors aged 14 and 16, were inside the Jeep at the time of the shooting. Surveillance footage showed the vehicle trailing the victim for several blocks prior to the incident.
Though the arrest warrant did not specify a motive, it suggested Reddick-Streater was deliberately targeted.
Reddick-Streater’s death devastated his community. He was remembered by family and friends as a kind, helpful young man with a bright future, looking forward to graduation and life as a new father.
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