The family of a man killed last summer by a West Hartford police officer is suing the town, the police department and the officer for wrongful death.
One was arrested, but the other, Alexander-Garcia, kept running.
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Surveillance video showed him running into the service bay at a Town Fair Tire, getting into a vehicle and attempting to back up.
That’s when Officer Andrew Teeter and his K9 approached. The officer’s body camera footage shows him lift the dog into the vehicle while ordering Alexander-Garcia to stop.
A struggle ensues, and Alexander-Garcia then drives off, with the officer and K9 in the vehicle, and hits his cruiser in the process.
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The officer then fired multiple shots and Alexander-Garcia crashed the vehicle into a pole across the street. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. The officer was injured.
“They seek justice on behalf of Mike, and they hope that Mike’s death can be an agent for change,” said Peter Bowman of BBB Attorneys, speaking on behalf of the family.
A 66-page lawsuit was filed in the state Superior Court last week, where the family demands accountability and justice, saying the use of deadly force was over-aggressive and unnecessary.
“Motor vehicle theft is not covered by the use of deadly force policy by the Town of West Hartford. But because New Britain Avenue has been militarized by the West Hartford Police Department what we have is Mike Alexander-Garcia getting shot five times at point-blank range,” said Ken Krayeske, a civil rights attorney at BBB Attorneys.
The lawsuit states that the officer didn’t have the proper skills to de-escalate the situation. The attorneys are now calling for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the police department.
“[Garcia] stated numerous times: ‘Please don’t kill me.’ These words are the words of someone who is surrendering to the police,” Bowman added.
The Town of West Hartford responded in a statement saying:
“West Hartford is committed to police accountability and transparency. A lawsuit at this stage contains unproven allegations, and it is important to note that this matter is still under investigation by the Office of Inspector General, the independent state office responsible for reviewing the deadly use of force by police. The Inspector General is tasked with conducting a thorough and impartial review of the facts, and we await the issuance of a final report."
