Latest news with #ConnecticutOfficeofInspectorGeneral
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Yahoo
Connecticut Office of Inspector General rules Windsor police officer not justified in firing gun at suspect
WINDSOR, Conn. (WTNH) — The Connecticut Office of Inspector General ruled that a Windsor police officer's use of deadly force was not justified after he shot at a man instead of using his Taser outside a convenience store in January. The inspector general said Officer Brandon Thomas, 34, found a 'suspicious' vehicle around 8:20 p.m. in the parking lot of a Tiger Mart gas station at 160 Windsor Ave on Jan. 30, 2025. The Windsor Police Department said Thomas saw a large bag of marijuana in plain view. Two people left the convenience store and walked toward the Jeep Liberty Sport, which had a license plate that matched another vehicle. The inspector general stated that when Thomas approached the pair about the misuse of the license plate, the driver, later identified as 21-year-old Geovanni Nunez, fled. Inspector general: Windsor police officer shot at fleeing suspect instead of using Taser Thomas chased Nunez across Windsor Avenue and into Keney Park. While chasing Nunez, the officer yelled, 'Stop running, or I'm going to f—ing tase you.' He then pulled out his actual firearm from its holster and fired one round at Nunez, the inspector general said. Thomas said, 'Oh, s—, I didn't mean to do that.' Nunez was not hit and was subsequently taken into custody and charged with interfering with the police and possession of a controlled substance. Police said they learned after the incident that Nunez had an outstanding warrant from Meriden police for first-degree assault. Thomas fell into a stream, and his body-worn camera became soaked. The inspector general stated, however, that the recording was recovered. Following his arrest, the inspector general said Nunez accused Thomas of shooting at him, and Thomas denied this, saying that he only used his Taser. 'Under the circumstances…Officer Thomas acted unlawfully and recklessly,' the inspector general said in his report. Thomas was arrested and charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm and second-degree reckless endangerment. He was placed on limited duty after the incident. The Windsor Police Department released a statement on the incident. This was a mistake made in a high-stress, fast-evolving situation. The officer has served with the Windsor Police Department for just over three years and has no prior incidents involving questionable use of force. While we fully respect the role and authority of the Inspector General, we believe the facts in this case do not warrant an arrest or charges. Windsor Police Chief Melanson The full statement can be read below. Thomas-Arrest-Press-Release-FinalDownload The Windsor Police Employee's Association called the incident 'unfortunate' but criticized the results of the inspector general's report. We fully support a thorough investigation — as is standard in any use-of-force situation — but, under these circumstances we strongly object to criminal misdemeanor charges being filed. This action sends a chilling message to Police Officers: that even honest mistakes, due to minimal police training standards, could lead to criminal prosecution. We believe the matter should be referred internally for an administrative review and disciplinary process. Windsor Police Employee's Association Union-Press-ReleaseDownload Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
Officers cleared in death of CT man who died following struggle during shoplifting investigation
Multiple Milford police officers have been cleared in the death of a man who went into cardiac arrest shortly after a struggle with police as authorities were investigating a shoplifting complaint at a supermarket last June. The report detailing the investigation, released Tuesday by the Connecticut Office of Inspector General, said the death of 52-year-old Michael Brown was caused by a heart attack that was brought on by the struggle with officers with the Milford Police Department. However, the investigation determined that police did not use excessive force during the struggle and that their actions would not have led to someone's death without the underlying health conditions that Brown had, Inspector General Robert Devlin, Jr., wrote. On June 5, 2024, Milford officers were dispatched to the Stop & Shop on Bridgeport Avenue just after 10:30 a.m. after store employees claimed that saw a man they identified as Brown fill a trash bag with about $648 worth of cleaning supplies, the report said. Brown allegedly spotted one of the loss prevention officers watching him and left the merchandise behind, leaving the store and driving away in a red Ford Fusion. The vehicle was located shortly thereafter in the parking lot of a Big Y on Boston Post Road. Officer Gregory Marriner and Officer Austin Groves positioned their cruisers in front of and behind the Focus, the report said. Inside the vehicle, a man with a dog told police he had been with a man named 'Michael,' who he said was in the store, according to the report. Shortly thereafter, police spotted Brown coming out of the store and confronted him. Body camera footage from the incident shows that Brown told police his name was 'Peter' as he continued toward the Focus. Police asked him for his identification and told him not to get into the car. Footage from police, released along with Devlin's report, showed that Marriner and Groves struggled for over a minute to get Brown out of the driver seat. According to the report, police believed he was going to take off after he reached toward the ignition. Milford chief releases additional arrest footage of man who later died in police custody During the struggle, Brown tells police 'wait' several times and then says his leg is broken, the footage shows. 'My leg is broken, look at it,' Brown shouts. 'I'm asking you please,' Brown said. 'I'm asking you please, bro.' Police were able to pull Brown out of the vehicle shortly after Sgt. Edward O'Keefe and Officer Stephani Peloso arrived to help, the report said. As they did, he shouted multiple more times that his leg was broken, the footage shows. Brown continued to say his leg was broken as he was placed onto his stomach and handcuffed, according to the footage. He then says multiple times that he can't breathe as he is being restrained. According to the report, Brown was wanted on multiple warrants accusing him of shoplifting. Paramedics from the Milford Fire Department responded to the scene after he was secured in handcuffs. After he was handcuffed, Brown continued saying his leg was broken and requested water — which he was given. Once he was on the stretcher, Lt. Josh Stanton of the Milford Fire Department noted that Brown was breathing heavily and fast, according to the report. Stanton said Brown was sweating and his skin was warm to the touch so he made the decision to immediately take Brown to the Milford Campus of Bridgeport Hospital, which was only a few minutes away, the report said. During transport, Brown was given oxygen. Stanton said he suspected narcotic intake since Brown's pupils were dilated and he was experiencing agonal breathing and he administered two milligrams of Narcan, according to the report. Stanton administered two milligrams of Narcan. While in the ambulance, Stanton said Brown's body went limp and he went into cardiac arrest. He arrived at the hospital at 11:12 a.m. and was pronounced dead 20 minutes later, the report said. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Brown's death was a homicide, finding that he died of cardiac arrhythmia due to hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, the report said. His medical emergency, the autopsy showed, was brought on by his struggle with the officers, according to the report. A doctor with the medical examiner's office went over her findings with Devlin's office and said his death was 'less about the actions of the police and more about Brown's heightened arousal during the struggle.' The doctor, the report said, 'did not believe that the struggle would have been lethal to a person without the underlying health problems exhibited by Brown,' Devlin wrote. 'For Brown, however, the duress of the struggle with the police tipped the scales leading to the cardiac arrhythmia that caused his death.' The toxicology report showed that Brown had fentanyl, oxycodone and THC in his system, the report said. An exam also found that his leg was not fractured, according to the report. Devlin's analysis of the incident found that police did not use excessive force when they removed Brown from the vehicle. 'His medical reaction was not due to the officers' use of force but to his precarious medical condition which, under the stress of the struggle, caused Brown to go into cardiac arrest,' Devlin wrote. Devlin's investigation concluded that the in-custody death 'was not due to the use of excessive force by Milford police officers nor to was it the result of criminality. To the contrary, it was rooted in Brown's underlying cardiovascular disease.'
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bridgeport police sergeant fired following discipline hearing
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (WTNH) — A Bridgeport police sergeant was terminated following a discipline hearing this week, police say. On Wednesday, department leaders said Sergeant Marlon Campo's employment with the Bridgeport Police Department was terminated effective immediately. Connecticut Office of Inspector General releases video of Bridgeport police officer shooting man They said it was a result of a discipline hearing on Tuesday, June 3. Police did not elaborate on the reason, explaining its an ongoing personnel matter. 'The Bridgeport Police Department takes all acts of misconduct seriously and whenever there are sustained charges, appropriate action is taken immediately. Public trust and confidence are dependent upon such actions by the Department,' officials said. An Instagram post from Bridgeport police in 2024 referred to Campo as the contact for anyone interested in joining the Citizens Academy. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
IG report: 2023 officer-involved shooting in New London was justified
NEW LONDON, Conn. (WTNH) — The Office of the Inspector General has ruled that the use of deadly force by police officers in a 2023 incident in New London was justified. Connecticut Office of Inspector General investigating officer-involved shooting in New London On Nov. 26, 2023, three New London police officers shot and wounded Christopher Nolan, a 42-year-old Black man at the Clarion Inn in New London after responding to a report of a shot being fired from a second-floor window. Officers arrived at Nolan's room to find him standing behind a curtain near the window and told him to show his hands. Nolan allegedly responded to police by saying 'I'll shoot' multiple times. When he raised his right hand up, an officer said that they observed Nolan holding a revolver and pointing it in their direction. The three officers — Joseph Nott III, Seth Bolduc and Anna Agnew — then allegedly shot at and wounded Nolan. Police later recovered a loaded revolver from the windowsill of the room. The Inspector General's office said that the officers shot at Nolan in response to what they perceived to be an imminent threat against them, and therefore their use of deadly force was reasonable and justified under Connecticut law. The report continues by saying that Nolan still refused to obey commands from officers after being shot. Nott III then used his taser on Nolan, causing him to fall to the floor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
Exclusive: Family, attorney of man fatally shot by Bridgeport police say the shooting was unjustified
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (WTNH) — Some controversial questions are being raised about an officer-involved shooting in Bridgeport. The victim's family and their attorney gave News 8 a closer look at police body camera footage they say tells a different story than what is being reported. Person shot and killed by Bridgeport police officer Bridgeport police say they can't comment since the Inspector General's office is still investigating. But, the victim's niece says they didn't need to shoot him, and he didn't have a gun. Instead, she says, it was a vape in his hands. 38-year-old Dyshan Best was killed after a a brief encounter turned deadly. Best and his friend had just left a funeral. Police officers were responding to a possible fight call, perhaps a weapon involved. Now, new body camera stills and images analyzed by the family attorney were shown to News 8 for the first time. 'It's worse than rush to judgement, a rush to judgement is when someone makes a conclusion what this is a falsity,' Attorney Darnell D. Crosland said. The inspector general says a handgun was found near the body. The attorney says that the alleged gun was discovered 20 hours later and is raising question. But, there is a part of the video that may show what could be identified as a weapon. Crosland says it appears that way because of how the video was slowed and stopped at a crucial time, and it is not a weapon. Connecticut Office of Inspector General releases video of Bridgeport police officer shooting man The victim's brother said he never heard any talk of a weapon or a gun and they lived together. The inspector general's office did not want to talk on camera, saying in a statement: 'The Office of the Inspector General is in the process of investigating this matter in a thorough and impartial manner. It stands by its preliminary report.' Why did Best run from police? 'In my mind I think he ran because he was inebriated – he had a gallon of Remy and he was grieving his friend,' Tatiana Barrett said. The officer who squeezed the trigger is on administrative leave, which is standard in a case like this. Watch the full story and see the still photos above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
