Dave Altimari of the HARTFORD COURANT reports today that two witnesses, including a player on the UConn football team, told police that “Jasper Howard took the first swing at the man accused of stabbing him to death.”

The fight began after two members of the team — Brian Parker, a redshirt freshman, and freshman A.J. Portee — “disrespected a girl,” according to the 21-page arrest warrant affidavit for John W. Lomax III, 21, who is charged with murder in Howard’s death.

Parker and Portee “made a comment” to the girl, and then “got into a shouting match” with Johnny Fitzgerald Hood, 21, of Hartford.

Police dispersed the crowd, but seven witnesses said they saw Lomax and Hakim Muhammad, 20 — both Bloomfield residents who came to the dance with Hood — go to Lomax’s car and return to the crowd carrying something or concealing something under their shirts, the warrant states.

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The HARTFORD COURANT has news today that 21-year-old John Lomax has been charged in the stabbing death of Jasper Howard. Lomax, who is not a UConn student, is being held on $2M bail.

(Murder suspect John Lomax on left)

Police also arrested 20-year-old Hakim Muhammad and charged him with conspiracy to commit first-degree assault. A third man, Jamal Todd, 21, has been charged with falsely reporting an incident and reckless endangerment “for pulling the fire alarm that preceded the altercation during which Howard was stabbed.”

Lomax’s attorney Deron Freeman, said, “I’m surprised, because my information is that my client had nothing whatsoever to do with the stabbing. … State police believe he knows more than he’s telling.” Read more…