WEST HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Continuing coverage of the officer-involved shooting that left a 19-year-old man dead last week. Sunday News 8 spoke to a law enforcement expert who says the situation is hard to judge, even with body cam footage.
It began Wednesday afternoon in Norwalk with an armed carjacking and ended in West Haven after a State Trooper shot and killed the suspect.
The story got a lot of reaction on News 8’s social media pages. The family calling what happened an injustice, while others say the victim is to blame.
In a nutshell, one law enforcement expert says it’s a hard thing to judge whether or not officers acted in line with Use of Force procedures in this deadly incident, because the video may serve as evidence, but it’s not the entire investigation.
The video shows what led up to the moment the State Trooper pulled the trigger, firing those several fatal shots at the driver, now identified as 19-year-old Mubarak Soulemane.
Investigators say Soulemane stole a ride-share car at knife-point in Norwalk, and then a chase ensued. The chase led Troopers from Norwalk to West Haven, where it ended with gunfire. Seven shots fired in total.
CT State Police released the video Friday, showing the incident.
News 8 spoke with former Fairfield Police Chief Gary MacNamara, who says videos like these often don’t tell the whole story.
“I think with the advent of technology and now body cameras, we’re gonna see a lot more information than we would’ve initially had in the past.
We all know that use of force by police is always ugly and this video being out there is truth to that fact. It’s really still important to understand that video enhances the investigation.”
– Gary MacNamara, Former Police Chief, Fairfield PD
Macnamara added that a full investigation needs to be conducted before conclusions can be drawn, despite that emotionally-charged video. And, he says, he’s confident a thorough investigation will be conducted.
