Police pursuing a “felony motor vehicle stop” in Bridgeport led to a multiple-town chase that ended in Ansonia with the suspect pronounced dead in Griffin Hospital on Sunday. See more on this here
As protocol, the police-involved shooting is being investigated by the state Office of Inspector General.
Bridgeport Police Capt. Kevin Gilleran issued this statement:
On February 4, 2024, members of the Bridgeport Police Department were conducting a criminal investigation into weapons and narcotics violations in the area of Oak Street in Bridgeport CT. As a result of that investigation, Officers attempted a felony motor vehicle stop at approximately 5:10 pm. The operator of the suspect vehicle subsequently fled from officers traveling northbound on Route 8. The vehicle travelled through several municipalities and ultimately came to a stop within the 200 block of Division Street in Ansonia CT where an officer-involved shooting occurred. The suspect was transported to Griffin Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
When a police officer uses deadly force in the course of his or her duties, it is crucial that a comprehensive investigation is conducted. As directed by the Connecticut Police Accountability Act, this investigation will be conducted by the Office of Inspector General, the Connecticut State Police Central District Major Crime Squad, and the Ansonia/Milford Judicial District State’s Attorney’s Office.
Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter Sr. has the utmost confidence that the Office of the Inspector General will ensure a thorough, transparent, and impartial investigation. Regardless of the circumstances, loss of life is tragic. Our sincerest condolences go out to the family of the deceased.
As is department protocol, the Bridgeport police officer(s) involved in this encounter will be assigned out of the Chief’s Office on modified duty until a determination has been made by the Office of the Inspector General.
We support our Bridgeport police officers as they continue to partner with the community by providing quality police services and creating a safe environment through fair and impartial enforcement of the law.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation should contact the Office of the Inspector General at (203) 806-1595. Further updates will come from the Office of the Inspector General.
Bridgeport Police involvement? No comment at this time on who drove away from a lawful attempt to investigate a situation or incident. Perhaps a good time to understand the protocol for chases through multiple communities, to understand the facts of gunfire or threats to public safety. Were communities along the pursuit route informed of the situation and what roles did they assume per protocol?
Much valuable information is likely available from the automobile and bodycams of the police reportedly due from FOI requests within 96 hours of the incident. As Chief Porter stated, the loss of life in such action is a tragedy and regreted.
Time will tell.
JML, Ironically the man died on “Division” Street.
“Were communities along the pursuit route informed of the situation and what roles did they assume per protocol?”
Are you fucking serious? The police were supposed to text, call, email, Facebook, Whatsapp, and send smoke signals to every one in all communities from Bridgeport to Ansonia? I can’t wait to hear what you and the NAACP gonna say if it turns out to be a black man who was killed.
OIB EXCLUSIVE:
Here’s a video of the police shooting of a white male suspect:
https://youtu.be/f8HtmFtGSQo?si=sfAYyPuhXZxLNiLU
The PD communications center would be aware and fully capable of alerting state and regional police of such a situation, per rationale safety protocol in a shooting-chase… Once the officers announced their pursuit, per proper patrol protocol, the PD CC could take it from there and alert the State PD and other regional PD’s without any involvement from the car/officers directly involved… GPS is no-doubt used to maintain knowledge of all patrols cars’ locations — for safety/supervisory-coverage reasons…
Not all high speed chases are equal. This one is unusual. For one, it was a white male and we know what they say: “They all look alike.” I’m told the suspect shot at police giving the BPD a good reason not to abort the persuit. Most of the chase was on Rt 8 at speed over 100 MPH–not taking long to get to Ansonia. It wasn’t like a pursuit on city streets and avenues with the suspect running lights, stop signs, and driving onto sidewalks etc. Not that many exits and on-ramps on that stretch of Rt 8. Then came Devine or say Devision Interference and the suspect met his fate. Better him than innocent people. Rest in Peace to the 2 Bridgeport children who tragically died on Rt. 8 in Oxford, true recovery is not possible for the surviving parents.
Joel,
Formerly I had some basic regard for your contribution to the general communication in the public square that Only In Bridgeport offers each of us. Recent statements by you in multiple bursts of comment including alleged interference with your right to vote or a Court decision as an example of “judge, jury, and executioner” behavior has me questionint my basic regard for your comments.
“Am I f……n serious?” You know that I am. I want the current protocol for pursuit of vehicles, some of which may be high speed, and others may cross into other communities. That is what I requested. You have a bit of information and blow up unfortunately or make the article racial, perhaps, from later info unknown at the time of posting the article.
Chief Porter has offered “effective communication” to the public on investigation practices, and other protocols that may have come into play. What a difference that makes without giving up any legal or administrative rights the Department may term important to maintain safety and security in the community at large. The Greater Bridgeport NAACP pursues matters of justice locally occasioned against people of color and others who are denied civil rights, or equality and fairness in the distribution of public resources like education, recreational progams, housing, or opportunities to serve on Boards or Commissions and become informed voters. Disagree with this recitation? Think that everything is binary? Yes or no? Have you reflected upon what ‘both/and means’ ?Time will tell.
JML, I’m not wasting time on you. I have a better chance on getting across Pereira’s head than yours.
Joel,
Do not get your meaning. Though you reference me, we did not speak when I saw you last evening at Council meeting.
You have a lot to say on OIB, some of it true but not necessarily why your rights have been so neglected that you talk about “revolution”. Your message can be quoted from February 2, once again, “Picture me bombing Black Rock from the Sound.” And later you closed with, “Nothing here is a lie or a suggestion. Am I clear?” Why not sign up for public speaking with your issues and concerns?
No, you are unclear, certainly, and you intend that. And why even address JML, without respect and to what purpose? Not lies and not suggestions? What is the purpose of your statements otherwise? Time will tell.
Joel you made the correct choice. It’s like talking to a walnut. Well not exactly. The walnut doesn’t expect you to give it a personal explanation for everything you say.
So; a question that ought to be considered here is why was so much time, energy, money, and a human life spent to (presumably) prevent the latter from obtaining their narcotic “fix” per the use of their adult, decision-making rights/prerogatives?!… Indeed; if the shooting victim were connected with the “legal” system as a “legitimate ” patient, they wouldn’t have needed to skulk about the dangerous, night-streets of Bridgeport trying to procure the means of quieting the demons of their addiction(s)…
Now the question alluded to above is; why not just legalize narcotics, allow addicts to indulge in their poison of choice under safe, FDA-approved circumstances that don’t endanger the whole community in a violent threat to their lives (as does a speeding, shooting chase on highways and through residential areas)?!
Alcohol is an addictive poison that kills many that “choose” to indulge excessively, even at it puts those in the community at risk per the compromised judgement of the users/addicts that choose to “operate” (generally speaking) under its influence. Because it was discovered that trying to control alcohol doesn’t work — availability can’t be effectively controlled, even as it encourages “gangsterism” and additional societal dysfunction, beyond just those of the legally-available substance, while stemming none of the problems rendered by the legal availability, the “prohibition” of the legal, wholesale-societal availability of alcohol was legally abandoned after a year of perseveration in the ill-conceived experiment…
So it is with narcotics. The availability of illegal narcotics of unknown strength and purity has only become increasingly easier, and the addiction problem catastrophically worse during the century+ that we have tried to stanch their illegal flow — even as we induced the rise of wealthy, powerful, psychopathic/sociopathic gangsterism per the financial incentives of their illegal provision. This has fed into global political and socioeconomic dysfunction of the most dangerous kind.
Legalize and tax all narcotics under indicated medical and legal auspices, on a background of abundant addiction-treatment and prevention-program availability financed with the new taxes and public-safety savings from the disconsolation of the FAILED “war on drugs…
Enough of wealthy drug lords/drug dealers corrupting all levels of government and endangering the public with their drug-gang wars/interdiction shootings on city streets!…
Enough stupidity!… Educate for prevention; strictly-enforce indicated limitations on access to narcotics for minors; provide treatment on demand for users that reach their “bottom” and want to quit… Stop wasting lives and money on a “war on drugs” that has increasingly made it easier for addicts/potential addicts to procure — PER THE EXTREMELY POWERFUL FINANCIAL INCENTIVES THAT HAVE CREATED AN OVERWHLEMING FLOW OF NARCOTICS (ON A BACKGROUND OF VIOLENT CRIME AND CORRUPTION) TO OUR CITIES/NEIGHBOHOODS…
ENOUGH STUPIDITY (AND WASTE)!
The last portion of the last sentence in paragraph 3, above should have read; “…the “prohibition” of the legal, wholesale-societal availability of alcohol was legally abandoned after over a decade of perseveration in the ill-conceived experiment…”
Also, it should be noted that many, many lives were ruined more because of the illegality of the drug, that by use by users, per the creation of serious criminal records and serving of long prison sentences for the use-possession/sale to finance addiction, whereas the latter situation(s) would likely not have occurred in the context of the legalized (controlled via indicated sanctions) use of narcotics…