Slain Windsor High Student Remembered by Friends

Friends and family members are in mourning following the tragic death of Windsor High School student Dajon Walcott.

The 16-year-old was shot and killed while attending a birthday party in Hartford among friends and family members on Saturday, June 9, leaving loved ones with little more than questions surrounding his death.

"He was a strong boy, and I expected him to [recover] and come out the next day and chill with me. But he didn't. Them boys took him right in front of my face," says 19-year-old Chuck Walton, who had been a close friend since the slain teen moved to Windsor from Washington, D.C., nearly a year ago.

According to friends, Walcott, who lived with his father in Windsor, made the move following the death of his mother in July 2011.

She lost a battle with cancer, said Chamyra Walton, Chuck's younger sister, who recalls seeing Walcott every day and remains distraught over the cause of his death.

"It wasn't wild and it wasn't out of control," she said of the June 9 party. "It's just the wrong people came. There wasn't a big fight. It's just the wrong people came, and kids had guns."

"For what?" she asked of the violence, tears in her eyes. "Jeopardizing people's lives. It's not right. He was sixteen. Sixteen."

Walton and Shamarhi Moody, friends of Walcott's who live just doors from where he was killed, said the teen was targeted because he was new to the area and stood up for himself when confronted.

"Basically they targeted him because they popped off to a new face," said Chamyra Walton.

"They didn't expect him to say anything. But he said something," she added.

Chuck Walton said Walcott was targeted because he has family from Hartford's Albany Avenue, and "kids from Main [Street] don't like kids from The Ave."

Despite the questions swirling around the motivation of Walcott's slaying, his friends have no question about the quality of his character.

Chamyra Walton said Walcott was far from a trouble-maker.

"He had dreams," she said. "He wanted to make it. He didn't want to be just another statistic: a black guy from the hood with no job. 

"He wanted to have money, to have kids. He wanted a better future."

Chuck Walton remembers Walcott mostly for his maturity and his smarts.

"He was a 16-year-old with the mind of a 30-year-old," he said. "He was so educated. He made me want to go back to school."

Although he had yet to live in Connecticut for a complete year, it's clear Walcott will be dearly missed by family members and friends.

"It's a loss for everybody, not just us," Chamyra Walton said. "He has a lot of family and friends here, even being up here not more than a year. He was loved."