Police said 19-year-old Mubarak Soulemane, of New Haven, was shot and killed by a Connecticut State Police trooper in West Haven during what started as an investigation into a reported carjacking in Norwalk.
Connecticut State Police have released dash and body camera footage that shows a deadly police shooting in West Haven Wednesday.
Police said 19-year-old Mubarak Soulemane, of New Haven, was shot and killed by a Connecticut State Police trooper in West Haven during what started as an investigation into a reported carjacking in Norwalk.
The combined one hour and 35 minutes of footage includes audio recordings of dispatchers communicating with Norwalk police, and body and dash camera footage of the pursuit and shooting.
According to police, Norwalk police officers responded to a report of an armed carjacking in their city around 4:36 p.m. Norwalk police noted in their BOLO that the driver was armed with a knife.
State troopers responded when they received reports that the suspect vehicle, a white Hyundai, was driving recklessly on Interstate 95 North. Police noted that State Police Pursuit policy allows for the pursuit of a stolen vehicle if the person in the vehicle “has committed, is attempting to commit or will imminently commit a crime of violence (actual or threatened), or there are articulable exigent circumstances that warrant the need to apprehend the suspect in a timely manner because of the potential for harm to the public if apprehension does not occur.”
Audio recordings include a 911 call where the caller describes the driver as weaving in and out of traffic and slamming into other cars.
State police and West Haven police tried to get the driver out of the car, first using a stun-gun, which did not work. When the driver showed a weapon, a trooper at the scene fired his gun, hitting the driver. The weapon, a knife, was recovered from the vehicle, police said.
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Body camera footage shows the troopers on the side of the vehicle, telling the driver to get out.
At one point they break the passenger-side window. One trooper can be heard telling another to pull a Taser, then the first trooper fires his weapon seven times.
The trooper who fired can be heard saying "he's got a knife. Drop the knife, drop the knife."
A kitchen knife can be seen in the video.
The driver, later identified as Soulemane, was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital where he died of his injuries.
The troopers involved in the incident have been identified as Trooper Brian North, who has been with the department for 4 and a half years, Trooper Joshua Jackson, who has also been with the department 4 and a half years, and Trooper First Class Ross Dalling, who has been with the department for 7 and a half years.
Police said North was the only one to fire his weapon. He has been placed on administrative assignment, per department policy.
Saeed Soulemane, the victim's brother, said he felt his brother was not given a fair chance.
"I feel like he was murdered, cold-blooded. he wasn't given a fair shake," Saeed said.
"I feel like he was scared. He was schizophrenic, he wasn't in the right state of mind. So it's just really unfortunate police have to do better. That situation definitely could have been handled thousands of other ways," he added.
Connecticut State Police Central District Major Crimes and the New London State's Attorney are investigating.
Religious leaders and the NAACP are calling for an independent investigation into the shooting.
