2 Conn. officers shot while serving warrant; suspect fatally shot
A pair of Connecticut police officers executing a search warrant on Wednesday were shot and wounded by a suspect, who was killed in the exchange of gunfire, police said.
A pair of Connecticut police officers executing a search warrant in New Haven were shot and wounded by a suspect, who was also killed in the exchange of gunfire, police said.
The two officers, with the West Haven Police Department, were working as part of a task force — comprising law enforcement from several different agencies — when the violence broke out on Wednesday at an apartment building on the 700 block of Grand Avenue, WTNH reported. They were both hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson told reporters the situation escalated shortly after authorities arrived on the scene just after 5:30 a.m. He said the first officer was shot as he entered the building, prompting multiple exchanges of gunfire that quickly escalated into a “standoff-type” incident.
When the gunfire seemed to stop, officers tried to coax the suspect from the building, but they did not receive any response, Jacobson said. The shooter was found fatally shot inside a first-floor apartment unit, shortly thereafter.
Another three people — an 8-year-old girl, an adult woman believed to be the suspect’s girlfriend and an adult man — were also inside the apartment unit at the time, said New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker. They were not injured in the early-morning chaos, he noted.
“Thank God the individuals in the apartment are OK,” Elicker said. “You can imagine just how scary this incident was for them.”
Authorities have so far provided few other details about the incident. None of those involved have been identified and it’s unclear what brought officers to the residence. Jacobson said they were trying to execute a search warrant out of West Haven, but he declined to comment further.
The shooting is now being investigated by the state Office of the Inspector General with assistance from the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office. Authorities are also reviewing bodycam footage, which, by law, must be released within 96 hours of an officer-involved shooting.
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