The Office of Inspector General has found that the police officer who fatally shot a 34-year-old man in West Hartford in August 2023 was justified in the use of force.
The shooting happened when Mike Alexander-Garcia, 34, stole a Toyota Rav4 from a service bay at Town Fair Tire on New Britain Avenue in West Hartford on the evening of Aug. 8, 2023 and drove away crashed as the officer who tried to apprehend him and his police dog were in the vehicle, according to the Office of the Inspector General.
West Hartford police officer Andrew Teeter shot Alexander-Garcia in the torso, the Office of the Chief Inspector’s Office said, and the report released on Thursday reveals more on the investigation.
It says that Alexander-Garcia was driving a Hyundai Elantra that had been stolen from Hartford four days earlier and police learned that it was near Westfarms.
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Officers used stop sticks to disable the vehicle, and Alexander-Garcia ran down New Britain Avenue after the SUV hit vehicles, then he tried to carjack two vehicles and ran into the service bay at Town Fair Tire where he jumped into a Toyota Rav4, according to the inspector general.
Teeter followed Alexander-Garcia into the service bay with his K9, Islay, and the dog jumped into the Toyota and bit the suspect in an effort to arrest the suspect, officials said. Then Teeter then got into the front passenger side of the Toyota to apprehend Alexander-Garcia and ordered him to stop, the report says.
That is when Alexander-Garcia backed the SUV out of the service bay with Officer Teeter and Islay still inside and tried to drive away, according to the report.
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The SUV hit two other vehicles, including Teeter's police cruiser, as Teeter ordered Alexander-Garcia to stop and Teeter fired five shots, hitting Alexander-Garcia, then the SUV crashed into a utility pole across the street from Town Fair Tire, according to the investigation report.
Alexander-Garcia was taken to Hartford Hospital where he later died. The Office of the inspector General report says that a toxicology analysis found cocaine in his system.
Officer Teeter suffered a broken rib, two damaged discs in his neck, several cuts to his head and additional injuries, according to the inspector general. Islay was not hurt.
“Based on the culmination of events thus far, the (subject’s) complete disregard for my lawful commands and his continued behavior of non-compliance/active resistance, I feared for my safety. If the subject was allowed to continue to operate in a violent reckless manner on a busy and active roadway and pedestrian area, there was a high likelihood of serious injury or death to myself, K9 Islay, and the public. Based on the totality of circumstances, and after numerous warnings, I drew my department issued service weapon and discharged several shots at the subject,” Teeter told investigators.
The Office of the Inspector General found, “Officer Teeter’s decision to deploy K9 Islay into the RAV4 to take Alexander-Garcia into custody was a less lethal option with a high probability of success. His decision to enter the RAV4 to affect the arrest Alexander-Garicia did not amount to officer-created jeopardy. Finally, his use of deadly force inside the RAV4 was a reasonable response to a legitimate threat of serious injury or death to himself and others posed by the chaotic and reckless actions of Alexander-Garcia.”
