Hartford police: Suspect admits shooting man in face on Capitol Avenue

Police have arrested the man they say fired two rounds into a man’s face on Capitol Avenue in Hartford Thursday night.

Julio Monet, 29, of Wolcott Street in Hartford, was charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault, criminal possession of a handgun and criminal use of a firearm. His bail was set at $1.05 million, according to police.

Despite suffering two gunshot wounds to the face, 22-year-old Tyler Cook was conscious and alert when he was transported to St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center Thursday night. The shooting occurred about 9:30 p.m. at Capitol Avenue and Heath Street, Hartford police Lt. Paul Cicero said. Cook was listed in stable condition Friday.

Officers descended on the scene within seconds of the gunfire being detected by the city’s Shot Spotter system, and within about 30 minutes tracked and located their suspect, who was reported to be wearing a hoodie and bright-colored ski mask. He was detained several blocks away near Bartholomew Street, police said. They also found two guns and the mask outside a home there.

“Privately owned security cameras in the area recorded the incident in its entirety,” Cicero said.

The video shows Monet approach Cook with a .32-caliber pistol in his right hand and fire once, according to a police report. Cook’s body went limp and he fell backward and was not moving, according to the report. “Blood is seen … gushing onto the sidewalk,” the report reads. “Monet then leans over the victim and points his firearm at the victim’s head again and fires a second round striking the victim in the head.”

The gun Monet is accused of using was reportedly sold for drugs in New Haven, according to court records. The second gun police recovered was one Cook had, but that Monet picked up after police say he shot Cook, according to the warrant.

In an interview with detectives, Monet admitted shooting Cook, according to the police report.

Monet has a criminal record dating back almost a decade, when he was convicted in 2010 of carrying a pistol without a permit, according to court records. He also was convicted for a late 2013 armed robbery and most recently was convicted late last year for escaping custody in November, court records show. He had a case pending for crashing a stolen car while trying to elude police, and a violation of probation from the armed robbery.

Courant Staff Writer Christine Dempsey contributed to this report.

Zach Murdock can be reached at zmurdock@courant.com.